The Pursuit
by pinkxmochi
Summary: Sasuke has been gone for two long years without a word and Sakura is ready to snap. Sasuke returns with a mysterious leather pocket journal and danger riding on his shadow.(Warning: Canon-ish/spoilers)
1. Prologue

Sakura bit her lower lip as she fingered a page of her book. The minute Tsunade granted a few hours of freedom before her next shift at the hospital, Sakura wandered to the grassy hills by the old training ground and curled up on a tree branch to read her new book. Her book collection at home was becoming quite impressive. In her small but cozy apartment, she had a bookcase full of medical references and research, but recently she purchased another bookcase for her growing pile of science fiction and fantasy novels.

The book she currently held in her delicate fingers consisted of a protagonist who traveled with a band of circus freaks. She continued to chew her lip as she got to a particularly juicy bit about his past. This was exactly the way she loved to spend her afternoons. On bright sunny days, she found that sitting on a high tree branch with a book was the best. Most of her friends teased her about having no social life. Naruto and Hinata were busy building a life together after their recent marriage. Ino still took missions and continued to help at her family flower shop whenever her parents needed. Shikamaru, Choji and Kiba were often spotted at bars in the evening after particularly long missions. All in all, the people around her were spending their young adult years in a frenzy of outings, parties and socializing. Sakura, however, preferred taking nights at home with her books, cooking and occasionally baking. The solitary activities were therapeutic for her.

Sakura let her leg hang off the side of the branch, swinging slowly back and forth as she savored another page. She furrowed her brow as the protagonist painfully watched his best friend betray him. She furiously chewed on her lower lip almost to the point of breaking skin. The story was just too intense.

"I think you have it all wrong little miss," a deep voice suddenly cut through the excitement of the book playing out in her mind. Sakura snapped her eyes to the left where she saw her old sensei perched on a branch just above her.

"Who are you calling a little miss?" Sakura said scrunching her nose like a child. "And what is it exactly that I have all wrong?" She sighed as she carefully put her bookmark in place as she closed her novel.

"You're sitting here in the old training grounds. You have a small book. You're reading intensely. You don't want to be bothered. I'm pretty sure I'm the copy ninja…not you," Kakashi said lightly tapping the cover of his Icha Icha.

"Oh my god, you're right. I am acting like an anti-social old fart just like you!" Sakura said groaning. She smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. She would end up like her perverted old sensei, running to find some secluded place to secretly read her books.

"It's really nothing to be ashamed of," Kakashi said propping himself against the trunk of the tree. "You'll come to be proud of how elusive you can become." Sakura smacked his arm lightly with a scowl on her face.

"I don't plan on being an elusive creature. I'm just on a short break from the world. That's all," Sakura said with a confident nod. Inwardly, she was scoffing at how untrue that statement really was.

"How have you been?" Kakashi asked pausing a moment before uttering the last word. She looked at him tiredly, knowing that it was a loaded question. Sakura decided to close her book and gently set it down on her lap.

"Well, I've been busy…that's for sure," Sakura answered truthfully. "Tsunade –sama has me scheduled almost around the clock most days. On the few days I'm not on the clock, I'm usually researching or creating new medical techniques."

"Sounds like a good schedule," Kakashi said absently.

"Mmm," Sakura agreed. "On the rare days she gives me a few hours of freedom, I come here to read," she smiled as she picked her book back up to show him. Kakashi blinked at Sakura. Sakura stared back and felt the urge to squirm. She knew he was waiting to hear how she really has been and not about her work life.

Exasperated, she blurted,"What?"

Kakashi simply shrugged.

"You didn't answer the question."

Sakura sighed and closed her eyes. She could feel the warmth of the sun dancing across her closed eyelids. The warm summer breeze had picked up and she could hear the leaves swaying and dancing between the awkward silences. The dapplings of sunlight lit the world even behind closed eyes. Without a cloud in the sky, she could smell the warming grass beneath her. Today was a perfect day. Well, almost perfect.

"I've been…better. I haven't heard once from him. He hasn't sent a single letter, although I know he has been in touch with Naruto. I think he got a letter three times now," Sakura said slowly sliding open her eyes. She sighed deeply. It hurt to say the facts out loud.

"He must have his reasons."

Sakura smiled sadly. Her former sensei was trying, in his way, to offer comfort but deep down inside, she knew that his reasons for not staying in touch were just as hurtful as the lack of communication between them. Sakura could feel the faint beginnings of a migraine coming. The topic of conversation either always left her feeling extremely numb or with a splitting migraine.

"Shouldn't you be helping Naruto figure out how to fill out paperwork? He is Hokage, but I'm amazed he has gotten this far without knowing anything at all." Kakashi raised a delicate silvery brow at the sudden change in conversation.

"He'll manage. Besides, I'm on break," he said while getting comfortable on his tree branch. Sakura knew the conversation was over now. The dull throb of her head pain began to subside. She smirked and waved goodbye to Kakashi before jumping off the branch to land gracefully on her feet. She rubbed her palms against pants. Her palms were sweatier than she realized. The anxiety caused by even the thought of Sasuke seemed to do that to her.

It had been almost two years since he left, again. Of course, this time it was different. He clearly stated his intention to leave and redeem himself as a man. At that moment, she had acted upon impulse, the way she often did as a child. She tried to cling to him and offered to go with him. His gentle refusal only hurt more. She had thought that they had finally come to a mutual understanding. In that moment, she thought maybe he would finally give her a real chance to love him.

Fast forward two years later with no contact. Sakura was almost sure that he would have at least sent a letter. They were friends, weren't they? After all he had done, he owed her that. If he was really thankful for her loyalty to him, he owed her that much. Sakura could feel her anger rising and swelling into her chest as she walked back to the hospital. She clenched her fists so hard she could feel the bones in her fingers strain under the pressure.

Sasuke had sent a few letters to Naruto. They were short and to the point, but at least Naruto had gotten something. Sakura felt bitter. She felt like she was being left behind again. In all of their years together, she always felt so small and immature when it came to their relationship. Sasuke and Naruto had almost killed each other countless times, yet their friendship only grew. Sakura always felt like she would take a step forward with Sasuke, but find that he would take ten steps back.

Sakura hastily swiped her medical identification badge in the hospital door slot. She pulled the door open with more force than necessary and continued to walk to her office. Her abrupt and almost violent entrance caught the attention of some patients and nurses. She did her best to ignore the brief moment of attention. She was too busy angrily thinking about Sasuke in the confines of her mind. Turning the corner, she pulled open a locker in the women's lounge and pulled out her white coat and tossed it around her shoulders. She went back to the hallway and continued to her office.

Deep down, she was hurt more than anything. Sakura understood that after everything Sasuke had gone through, he needed time to heal and clear his mind. She also knew that no matter what happened, she would wait for him. But without a single letter, sign or word from him within the past few years left her in despair. Was that all she could do for him? Her heart clenched painfully at the thought that the man she loved so dearly would keep her waiting forever. She heard a snap and a few scattered gasps.

Sakura's attention snapped back to reality. She looked down to find that she had ripped the door handle clean off the door and crushed it into a crumpled bundle of metal in her small hand. She blinked a few times and looked around her to find that some of the nurses were looking at her in fright.

"Sakura-san, are you alright?" A petite young woman with dark chocolate hair and bright honey eyes asked concerned.

"Ah, gomen Moeka-chan. I was so lost in thought for a minute, I tore the handle off…again," Sakura said tossing the handle into a recycle bin with other crumpled metal door knobs. "Third one this week." The young nurse gave a genuine smile and patted Sakura on the shoulder.

"Sometimes, you have to lose your mind a few times before you can truly get it back." Sakura smiled, grateful that the young nurse seemed to understand her internal struggle. It was no secret to her closest friends and to the rest of the whole village that Sakura was depressed the day everyone returned home except for Sasuke. There were whispers all around that he had abandoned her again. Some guessed that he was still disloyal to Konoha. Naruto did his best to put these ill rumors to rest, but people will be petty and continue to talk. Moeka was just a young assistant nurse when she first came to the hospital and had been a very reliable helper to Sakura. Sakura never shared her internal heartbreak with Moeka, but the young girl always seemed to know exactly what to say at the right time.

"Arigatou Moeka-chan," Sakura smiled genuinely. Moeka nodded and tossed her something bright and round. Sakura easily caught the object in her nimble hand. Moeka turned with her clipboard in hand and headed towards the ICU. Sakura smiled again as she looked down at the small and perfectly ripened clementine. She plopped the fruit in her pocket and proceeded to push open her office door.

"SAKURA!" A blonde haired man shouted.

"Kami, Naruto! Why are you shouting? What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be busy assigning missions, reading through reports and signing thousands of things? I'm amazed this village is still running with so many people leaving their jobs," Sakura said furrowing her brow and thinking of Kakashi earlier that morning.

"Oh come on Sakura. I love being Hokage but sometimes it gets so stuffy. You know I don't do that well with all the formalities. An ambassador from Water is arriving tomorrow and Hinata has me practicing my table manners. On top of that, I've been worried from the lack of missions I have been able to assign," Naruto said tiredly.

"Just remember to take longer than a minute to eat a single plate of food, keep your mouth shut through dinner and don't drink anything alcoholic. You know you get a little too loose when you do," Sakura said raising an eyebrow and throwing him a glare over her shoulder. She hung up her bag on a coat rack and pulled up a thick packet of papers. "You know around this time of year, things get quiet with all the children going back to school. As for the bigger missions, there is always a dry spell, and then all of a sudden shit hits the ceiling fan and you'll be doling out missions left and right. Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can."

"Well, that reminds me. About that peace and quiet…I wanted to talk to you about Sasuke." Sakura slammed the wad of papers down on her desk. She turned around to give Naruto a death glare from where she stood.

"I'm really not in the mood to be talking about Sasuke right now."

"I just wanted to tell you…"

"NO! Not now, not today!" Sakura shouted pushing the tall man through her office door. "And don't try coming back in here to bring that up again, Naruto! Hokage or not, I will beat you to a bloody pulp today. I am not in the mood!" Sakura squeezed her eyes shut with her back against the door. She slid slowly to the floor. She knew she was taking things out on Naruto but she didn't care. She was too much of a mess. She felt like her heart was falling apart. Everyone wanted her to talk about Sasuke but she had enough. She couldn't talk anymore. That's all she could ever do. All she could do was talk about him but she never gets to do anything with him. Their relationship consisted of her talking and chasing after him. Her love for him wouldn't change so easily, but she was becoming tired.

Sakura cradled her throbbing head in her hands. She drew in a deep breath through shaking lips. She exhaled and repeated the action. She had to steel herself. She was Konoha's best medic, and she couldn't afford to be sitting here letting a name bring her to her knees. Sakura could feel resolve gathering deep within her. She stood abruptly and grabbed her stack of papers. Today, she would finish strong. While the sun was still up, she would work her ass off and do her duty as a medic to save those in need of help. Yes, so long as the sun was in the sky, she would be strong. But when the lights of the village dim, and there is nothing to keep her mind occupied of the hurt she suffered, only then would she give in to the pain. Only in the dark will she pull back the veil on her broken heart to uncover her scars.


	2. The Longest Day

Sakura leaned against the wall of the ICU with her eyes closed. She sucked in a ragged breath. She had overdone it, and she knew it. Most times, there was no need to go overboard with healing an emergency patient, but more often than not she felt a responsibility to finish what she started. She slowly felt her body sinking to the cold sterile floor of the hospital with her hands still torn raw from the amount of chakra she had pushed forth. Less than four hours ago, two separate teams out on S-rank missions stumbled through the gates of Konoha clutching their severely injured bodies. One of them had actually popped out of nowhere with a teleportation jutsu right into the main lobby of the hospital. Both teams were on the brink of death. The five men and single woman who came into the ICU had such serious injuries. Sakura had to be put in charge of three.

The first injured Anbu member appeared out of thin air in the lobby. Patients and nurses gasped in fright at the convulsing man on the floor. At the time, Sakura was in the toxicology department studying some rare toxins that Tsunade had collected through favors asked of the Hokage when he sent his last team out on an S-rank mission into Wind country. She was on the brink of figuring out how to take a strain of the toxin and develop an antidote when Moeka came crashing through the door. She didn't have to say anything for Sakura to know something was wrong.

The bird masked Anbu shinobi had several cracked ribs, a concussion, a broken ankle, ruptured artery in the leg, and someone managed to slice a hairline cut into his spine which was causing the convulsions. On top of that getting him air was almost impossible with a partially collapsed lung. Sakura had to use all of her focus to pour her chakra into his veins to slow the bleeding and to rebuild the tissue of his lungs. The hardest was his spine. Any small movement could cost him his life or worse, a life where he would be severely disabled. After hours of grueling work, Sakura got him back into stable condition and went to check on the others that came with him.

Sakura couldn't help but feel satisfaction that her patients survived, but her brain was throbbing. She could barely stand straight. Her knees felt like pudding and her shoulders were so heavy. She still had an hour before her shift was over for the next two days, but she could barely move. After what seemed like hours, she finally gathered enough energy to stand up and make her way to a sink. She carefully washed her hands with cool water and tried her best not to wince from her raw hands. As much as she wanted to heal them, her chakra was completely depleted. Instead, she dried her hands and rubbed a little herbal ointment on it to keep her skin from being irritated further. When her chakra returned, she could heal herself.

Sakura suddenly remembered the perfect little clementine Moeka had given her and groaned loudly. She could use a sweet, juicy pick me up. But with her raw hands, the acidity of the fruit would only sting her. Maybe she could stuff the whole thing in her mouth and just eat it, peel and all. She could mentally picture Ino snorting at her animal-like behavior and suppressed the urge to do so.

Sakura safely made it back to her office and quietly shut the door. She sighed in resignation. The toxicology lab needed some serious organization and inventory check. She had always been such a control freak when it came to work that she would feel better doing it herself. Sakura grabbed her bag and headed for the lab. As soon as she was done here, she could take off and finish off her reports from the comfort of her home. Maybe she would stop by the market after and pick up some fruit. She had been dying to make a fresh fruit tart. The summer was slowly coming to an end and fruit would either become scarce or prices would sky rocket. Either way, she wasn't willing to leave her sweet tooth unsatisfied.

What was meant to be a short inventory and quick clean up ended up keeping Sakura in the lab for another two hours. She cleaned up her workstation that was left abandoned and in a mess when she was called for the emergency surgery. She moved onto adding bits of culture and toxins into vials and containers before placing them into the analyzer. The vials would sit in the machine for at least another 38 hours before she could check to see the results. Sakura looked around at her handiwork and waved a short farewell to the other lab assistants filing away papers into the cabinets at the back of the lab. She remembered to throw in a warning about keeping her newly cleaned lab spick and span.

On her way to the market, Sakura bumped into Ino. At first, Ino simply waved while rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. Ino poked Sakura on the forehead and smiled. Ino was acting awkwardly around her and it didn't go unnoticed.

"What's going on forehead?" Ino smirked.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "What do you think? I'm getting some materials for my long overdue fruit tart. What are you doing here at the market? It's unusual for you to be acting so domestic," Sakura said before picking up a plum and sniffing it. The smell was sweet, so she grabbed a few more and put them in a bag.

Ino fidgeted nervously before continuing, "Don't you think you should just get to it and see him?" Ino started chewing on her lip.

"See who?" Sakura said as she moved on to inspect a small carton of strawberries. All the fruits seemed so intoxicating. She wanted to reach the blueberries on the other end but had to reach over a pile of tomatoes. _Ick, imagine a fruit tart mixed in with tomatoes_. Sakura shook the thought out of her head.

"Oh kami. Naruto didn't tell you?" Ino looked really nervous now. "Uh…I really don't know how to say this but…oh kami…I think I'm going to barf."

Sakura made a face after picking up a small basket of golden kiwis. "Can you just spit it out? Your stammering is spraying all the fruit with your spit. Ugh just say it!" Sakura snapped.

"Promise not to punch me in the face? You know my gorgeous face can't have any scars or bruises, right?" Ino continued poking at her face while looking horrified.

"I'm going to punch it if you don't tell me what the hell is going on in five seconds."

"Okay, okay! Yeesh…so much for being my best friend," Ino frowned. Sakura cleared her throat as a final warning, and Ino seemed to understand her time was up. "Sasuke came back."

Somewhere, an academy student just fell out of a tree. A bird dropped dead out of the sky. Somewhere in the village, a mirror fell to a million glittering pieces. A nurse just sliced her finger on a file. All of these things seemed so unlucky, so ominous. But really, nothing was as bad as the news that just fell from Ino's lips.

"When?" Sakura asked quietly.

"I heard he checked in with the posted guards at the gate early this morning. Are you okay?" Ino asked shyly while biting her lip.

"I don't really think I need to answer that question for you to know…" Sakura smiled sadly. "I think I'm just going to check out with this and call it a night."

"Don't you think you should go see him?" Ino asked fidgeting with the end of her ponytail. Over the years Sakura's blonde friend seemed to become more sensitive with people although she remained loud, friendly and ever competitive.

"If he wants to talk, he can come find me," Sakura decided. Her mind said this was the best option but her heart said otherwise. To be honest, she wanted to run and find him. She just wanted to hug him and make sure he was back in one piece but she was afraid of what would come next. She just wasn't ready to face the cold truth of his absence.

"You know he's never been the one to initiate anything. What if he doesn't?" Ino asked worriedly.

"Well, if he ignores me, it won't be the first time."


	3. The First Bite

**I had a particular song on repeat when writing this chapter. Please check out the song "Faded" by Alan Walker. Sending a special thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I hope this chapter is better than the last~ 3**

The First Bite

The entire walk home, Sakura felt like her body wasn't responding to her brain. Usually, she walked down the streets like a normal civilian. She savored the feeling of normalcy like she didn't just use chakra to put a human back together and on the occasion split an entire mountain in half out of rage. However, on a night like tonight when she just needed the comfort of home as soon as possible, she just couldn't seem to get there fast enough. It felt like most times her feet would steadily find its bearings on the roofs and gracefully carry her home but her feet felt like two ton bricks. She just needed to get out of the open. Paranoia that the Uchiha might be lurking somewhere nearby settled straight into her bones.

Amazingly, she returned home without an encounter. She shoved the lobby door harder than necessary and leapt up the four flights of stairs to her apartment. Sakura swiftly unlocked the door and dropped her bags in the kitchen. After flicking the light switch up, she did a quick surveillance of her apartment. It was left just as clean and tidy as she left it early in the morning. After kicking off her boots and putting them on the shoe rack, she moved to wash her hands in the sink before putting away the groceries.

Sakura paused for a minute with her hands on her hips. Perhaps the groceries could wait. The first thing she needed to do was shed her ruined work clothes and take a quick shower before diving into baking. Nodding her head like she was agreeing with her conscience, she slid off her white coat and tossed it into the hamper. Her shirt went next, and then she kicked her pants off. She left the heap by the bathroom door as she turned on the light. She took a glance in the mirror and winced. Her neck was stained with blood and her face was speckled with bits of ointment. Strands of blood streaked hair framed her face. She frowned and turned her face this way and that. Had she really gone grocery shopping in this state? Sighing and shaking her head she turned the shower knob as far as it would go.

Sakura savored the hot shower and took the time to take care in scrubbing every inch of her skin. When she was done, she wrapped a fresh soft towel around herself and went into her room to rummage for a comfy pair of shorts and a shirt. For a split moment, Sakura felt her stomach turn. She snapped her eyes to her bedroom window and saw nothing but a darkening sky. The landscape was turning a brilliant pink. She shook the feeling off and dressed herself.

Moving to the kitchen, she put together all of her ingredients on the counter and put away the eggs, cream and milk. Her stomach gave a soft grumble. Taking the cue, she washed some rice and put it into the rice cooker and threw two whole mackerels into a pan. Dinner could remain simple, and dessert would be the main.

Sakura almost dropped the glass mixing bowl when she felt that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach again. She glanced over her shoulder and out the balcony door and still found nothing but the setting sun. Shrugging, she began mixing the flour with sugar, eggs and vanilla for the tart crust. Once the mixture was set, she gently pressed it into her pan and heated the oven. Next, she moved to wash all the fruit. Rinsing the fruit thoroughly, she turned back to the pan of mackerel and flipped them over.

Her previously quiet and still apartment seemed to come alive again. The night sky was quickly dimming, so she turned to turn all of her lights on. The apartment was beginning to smell like fresh rice and salty fish. She stretched lightly before tousling her damp hair and tying it up in a high bun. A loud crackle from the pan caught her attention. She shifted back to the kitchen and turned off the burner and placed her pie crust into the oven. There was exactly fifteen minutes before her crust and rice were ready. Tapping her finger on her chin, she decided to put her laundry into the washer and pick up a book. She filled the washer and closed the lid before moving to her bookshelf.

Her apartment was generally an open floorplan to accommodate the occasional ANBU officers and a few of her old friends who refused to seek help at the hospital. Her mind wandered to a certain silver haired copy-ninja who seemed to have evaded stepping foot into an actual hospital for two straight years despite serious injuries. Her eyes rolled at the thought. Sakura kept her emergency resources in a chest to the left while oak bookcases lined the right wall. This was home to all of the medical books she accumulated over the years and her favorite novels. Her large soft grey couch sat in the middle of it all with a black coffee table. The balcony was nestled on the far wall between the shelves.

For a moment she saw a flicker of movement on the balcony and assumed that someone had come to receive emergency aid. Sakura padded across the apartment and drew the curtain. She pressed her hands to the glass and saw nothing but her few dead potted plants. She flipped the lock and drew the door open to stick her head outside. There was again nothing but the sounds of civilians moving along the streets and the crow of the birds flying into the cover of the trees. She took a deep breath. The cool and fresh night air was crisp. It was the first sign of fall, her favorite season. The air made her heart jump ever so slightly at the thought of cooler weather and warm holidays.

The rice cooker beeped.

After closing the door and keeping the curtains open, she went to stir the rice and plate her dinner. Once the table was set, she moved to pull the crust out of the oven. She pulled open a drawer to take out a pair of chopsticks when she felt it again. Her stomach did a flip. She felt a few loose strands of hair dance around her face ever so slightly. The draft of cool air sent a chill up her spine.

"Sakura."

The deep voice forced Sakura to shut her eyes and clutch the chopsticks in her hands so tightly they almost snapped. She took a moment to take a deep breath before turning. At first, she thought it had to be a dream. Was this real? Plucking up all the courage she could, she straightened up and turned slowly with her eyes on the floor. She saw only his feet as her eyes worked their way up his form. They raked up his long legs and across his broad torso. His dark cape was the same from those years ago, although a little worn. Her eyes got to his chin but she was almost afraid to go up any further. She expected him to be looking away from her but when she finally looked at his face, his eyes were focused straight at her. She let out the breath she didn't realizing she was holding. She almost choked.

"Sasuke…" she whispered.

"I'm back."

Sakura could hear the exhaustion in his voice. It made her momentarily forget about her anxiety. She could see the skin under his eyes were dark. She wanted desperately to say something but had no idea where to begin. They stood staring at each other in awkward silence. There was clearly an elephant in the room but Sakura wasn't going to be the one to bring it up first.

"I heard you came back early this morning. Have you gone to see Naruto?" Sakura felt her voice hitch just a little. Her mind was betraying her. Instead of working to soothe her pounding heart and racing mind, memories of the past flooded her senses. The image of Sasuke's letters to Naruto popped into her mind causing her to clench her fists again.

"I've been with him all day. He wanted to catch up before getting to the paperwork and formalities," he trailed. He lifted his hand to comb back the hair from his eyes.

"I'm surprised you came to see me next," Sakura replied truthfully. "After two years of absolutely nothing, I just figured you wouldn't seek me out." Sakura had told herself that she would let Sasuke be the one to start everything including the difficult topics of conversation. But her waning heart couldn't take another second of ignorance.

"I…I had my reasons," Sasuke said quietly.

Kakashi had been right. Clearly, Sasuke had reasons for cutting off contact. Inner Sakura groaned. Their former sensei always had the ability to be annoyingly right about important things.

"I take it that I won't find out about these reasons yet?" Sakura questioned turning her back to head back to the counter.

He remained silent and unreadable. After two years of traveling the world and looking for redemption, he was still stoic as ever. His lack of response prompted her to open a cupboard and pull out two small bowls and two rectangular plates.

"One scoop or two?" Sakura questioned.

"What?"

"One scoop or two?" Sakura repeated lovingly patting the rice cooker on the side. "We clearly aren't going to be hashing anything heavy out tonight, and you look exhausted. If you haven't eaten, you're welcome to stay for dinner."

Sakura panicked thinking that her invitation to dinner was too early. Although she was glad that she would have another day to think about what she wanted to say to him, she wasn't sure she could survive an awkward dinner. Her motherly instinct wanted to make sure her friend and former teammate was well fed before he went back to his old home to probably sleep like the dead for the night.

The silence stretched on. Sakura felt like a complete moron. She was standing with the rice scooper in one hand and a bowl in the other. Sasuke actually wore an expression of mild confusion. Hopefully, he would answer in the next few seconds before she died of embarrassment.

"Three," Sasuke answered. The corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly upward. Sakura couldn't help but smile. In an instant, she felt the tension melting away, and she was almost willing to throw away the past and start over from that moment, right then.

The two ate in comfortable silence. They both knew that all the hard questions would come another day, so instead they enjoyed a normal dinner as a reunited team. Sakura took another morsel of fish into her mouth and stole a glance at Sasuke. His face was no longer boyish, although his face was never as young as it should have been. His face was hardened years ago after the trauma he had gone through. Now, his face was hard and angular but still handsome. His jaw had squared and the softness of his youth melted away. His nose was perfectly pointed with a high bridge, full eyebrows and deep eyes. Those eyes held nothing at times in the past.

"Your rice is going to fall out of your mouth," Sasuke stated flatly.

Sakura turned red in the face realizing that she had been caught staring at his face, with her mouth open. She quickly shut her lips and swallowed her bite without chewing.

Sasuke was already finished with his meal and lightly placed his chopsticks on the table and stood, taking his empty dishes to the sink. Sakura turned with her spoon still in her mouth. She quickly scooped the last three bites of rice into her mouth and turned to take the rest of the plates.

"You don't have to do that. Just leave them in the sink," Sakura said blushing as Sasuke picked up the sponge.

"It's fine." Sasuke responded quietly. Sasuke glanced to the side at the empty pie crust on the counter. Sakura followed his gaze to the crust and suppressed the urge to giggle.

"I'm making a fruit tart if you're curious." Sakura said teasingly as she pulled the cream and eggs out of the fridge. "You're welcome to stay for tea and tart. It won't take long."

"You know I don't like sweets," Sasuke frowned. He may have had the occasional mochi in the past, but he never really showed interest in anything else sweet.

Sakura pursed her lips and ignored the rejection. "Well, I'll still have some hot tea ready with the tart in a few minutes."

Sakura whisked the cream and eggs over a pot of boiling water until it created a golden custard. She filled the tart crust with the custard and lined the top with sliced fruit. She made a beautiful rosette pattern with thin slices of plum and pear. Towards the center, she put slices of kiwi and mixed berries. Just as she placed the final touches of powdered sugar, Sasuke dried his hands on a kitchen towel.

"I think I'm going to turn in for the night. Thank you for dinner Sakura," Sasuke said abruptly. He pushed his chair in just as Sakura began scooping some loose leaf tea into some cups for tea.

"Ah, right. You must be exhausted. Yeah, it was nice having dinner with you. I'm glad your first meal back was with me," Sakura smiled softly. She awkwardly rubbed the palms of her hands on her hips. She thought carefully before continuing. "So, you're back for good right? Or maybe even just for a while but…maybe things have settled a bit now. Maybe now is the time to start trying new things?" Sakura added almost as an afterthought.

Sasuke watched Sakura as cut a piece of the tart and plated it on a plain white dish. She placed it on the table with a small fork. He knew she wasn't talking about giving her tart a try. It was just like her to shyly disguise a statement with deeper meaning. She had learned to deal with his immature and harsh ways in the past by timidly offering her suggestions. He had been quite selfish, although at the time he had been so convinced it was the only way.

"I can't say that I will…" Sasuke trailed off.

"But, please try?" Sakura pleaded. She suddenly felt like she was about to break. They didn't have to say explicitly that they were actually talking about their relationship or lack of. She just desperately needed to hear that he would try. She needed to know that there was some hope and that waiting for two years in silence wouldn't go to waste.

Sasuke stood there rigidly. Sakura knew he wouldn't give a response, so she turned to her abandoned tea cup and poured hot water into the cup. The steam wafted into her face and brought the alluring aroma of deep matcha. She heard his feet begin to move across the floor away from her and towards the door. Her hands felt weak as her fingers trembled. He was going to leave her without any answers again.

"Goodnight Sakura," Sasuke threw over his shoulder before sliding her balcony door open to make his exit. Sakura couldn't seem to find her voice to answer.

After a few long minutes, she picked up her tea cup and turned to the table and took a seat. She picked up her fork to take a taste from her slice of fruit tart when she noticed a single bite was missing from it.

Sakura smiled her first genuine and light hearted smile in years.


	4. Cotton Candy Halo

Sasuke quietly shut the balcony door behind him and gracefully jumped onto the rooftop across the way. He couldn't stay in Sakura's home much longer. Something akin to guilt was eating away at him too much. He knew she suffered because of him and many times tried to make his suffering her own, but she was too good for that. It was difficult sitting there with her as if he deserved her warm smile and generous meal. She loved him full heartedly and although he might not have reciprocated, he knew every time he turned his back it was a betrayal, a slap in the face.

Sasuke stealthily hopped over a dozen rooftops before silently landing on a quiet and dim street corner. The large home situated on the right was dark. The surrounding white stone wall glowed an eerie shade of blue from the light of the moon. Sasuke lightly placed his fingers against the wall and dragged them across the surface as he approached the gate door. His fingers stopped over a circular design on the splintered dark indigo wood. He took his hand away after brushing away the dirt and dust from his family emblem.

"Tadaima…" Sasuke's lips remained a firm line. It felt strange saying it out loud but he had made peace with his family. It was a struggle every night trying to ignore the nightmares of his family's massacre and sometimes even harder when he woke from nightmares of a happy family where he and his brother were like any other brothers. Just two years ago, his life had been turbulent and the sudden stillness threw him off. He sincerely believed a normal life was beyond his reach. His mind and heart were so far beyond damaged that there was nothing left to salvage. Perhaps, he believed even if there was something small hiding in the rubble, it may not be worth salvaging.

Gently lifting the heavy iron handle of the gate, he tugged the door open. The sound of the creaking door echoed across the courtyard. The courtyard became riddled with dying weeds and remnants of broken shoji frames. The beautiful sugi trees that his mother had treasured were still green and standing tall. He used to think those trees towered above him as a boy, but he now saw that they weren't very big at all. After a life like his, nothing seemed so big and scary.

"The garden and flowerbeds look like they could use some care, but overall not bad." Sasuke said out loud to the seemingly empty courtyard. He heard a pair of feet softly landing just a few feet behind him.

"I suppose you plan on fixing up the place yourself?"

Sasuke still looked forward as he nodded his head once.

Kakashi had his arms crossed over his chest and casually leaned against the gate doorway. "Looks like it would be quite a big place for just one guy."

"I'll manage," Sasuke replied.

"I suppose you can convert the twenty extra rooms you have into a hotel of sorts. Or perhaps you can rent out some rooms," Kakashi jokingly pondered half-jokingly putting a finger to his chin. Sasuke rolled his eyes at his old sensei's teasing.

"What are you doing in the Uchiha district?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, I was planning on throwing you a surprise welcome back party but you ruined the fun. You came before I could tie big blue balloons all over the place. It's a shame really," Kakashi said hanging his head down.

"It's good to see haven't changed Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke said in all sincerity.

"It's good to see you have," Kakashi responded.

The two shinobi stood in comfortable silence for a moment to take in the way their relationship had changed. Sasuke started to feel a bit out of place standing in such peace with his former sensei. Pulling himself out of his thoughts he continued, "I take it Naruto must have sent you?"

"Indeed. The hokage couldn't step away from his desk to ask you himself, but he seems to want another opportunity to talk about the intel you have gathered on your time away from the village. Says he has been getting some similar leads along the border of earth and grass country. You are to report at 7 AM sharp," Kakashi said tipping his chin in a nod.

"Understood," Sasuke nodded back.

"Have you gone to see…"

"Sakura? Yes, I have," Sasuke said slightly taken aback that Kakashi would inquire about such a topic.

"Seeing as you are in one piece, I guess it went well?" Kakashi teased.

"We really didn't talk much," Sasuke said feeling guilty again.

"In time, in due time," Kakashi started stuffing his hands into his vest pocket. "Well, I'm off. I'll see you around Sasuke. Oh and by the way, you seem to have a few crumbs on your chin."

Sakura hardly slept the night before. The bite Sasuke had taken of her tart meant so much. It was silly that she lost sleep over this but his effort to put himself out of his comfort zone held so much hope for the pink haired kunoichi.

She had today and tomorrow off, but Sakura knew she would still be as busy as a bee. Most days off were spent in her tree for reading or looking through paperwork at the hospital. Tsunade had also left some patient profiles that needed sorting. Usually, some of the newer nurses took on this job but late last year, a few had unfortunately lost their lives. At that time, Naruto had gotten requests for medical aid from a small village in lightening and another in water country. Naruto had sent groups of shinobi and some civilian nurses to aid the two countries. What should have been an easy mission turned into a disaster. The group that went into lightening found themselves attacked by unknown assailants on their journey back. They lost two nurses in the deadly exchange. The larger group that headed to water country lost three nurses.

Since then, Naruto has been sending Anbu operatives to do some recon work but most times they came back with nothing. Sakura was still enraged by the whole ordeal. Both groups were traveling with minimal luggage and goods. The hospital staff traveled with certain medicines and equipment but nothing worth stealing. Besides, when the assailants attacked, they made no moves to steal their supplies. It almost seemed like it was simply an attack to gauge the leaf shinobi. After the incident, Sakura picked up a few extra jobs to help pull the weight.

Shaking her head as memories of the horrific event came back, she thought of Moeka. Smiling, Sakura rose from the comforts of her soft grey and white checkered bed. She raised her hands high above her head and pulled her arms taught. As she arched her back, she heard a satisfying pop.

Sakura trudged to the kitchen and turned on the coffeemaker. The scent of strong bitter coffee seeped its way out into the kitchen and all over the apartment. Rubbing her belly, she opened the refrigerator door and pulled out two eggs and some scallion. A simple omelet and coffee would be good to start the day. She took a quick glance out the window to see the sun was halfway above the tree-line. Brilliant orange light drenched her couch and books.

Expertly prepping all of her ingredients, Sakura quickly made her meal. The morning was chilly, but the warmth from the sun was embracing everything outside. Making up her mind, she plated her omelet and skipped across her living room and slid open her balcony door and sat on the railing. She balanced her plate on her thighs and held her coffee mug in one hand. Shoveling a bite into her mouth, Sakura chewed happily.

When she finished her breakfast, she held her mug with both hands and savored the rest of her morning brew. She could hear Mr. Fukuda across the street chasing the stray cat away from the fish he placed out in his street market stall. She giggled as she watched him almost break his broom after a failed attempt at the cat's life. Her eyes trailed off to the side and stopped dead when she saw a familiar mop of dark hair.

Sasuke felt a pair of eyes watching him, so he turned to see a blazing sky of blood orange and coral. He squinted to see a figure resting on a balcony, gently swinging a perfectly long and slender leg. Sasuke had to remind himself that he wasn't in a dream. Sakura sat casually in her simple white short-sleeved shirt and dark blue shorts while peering down at him. She was an image of perfection. The halo of dazzling cotton candy hair framed her perfectly heart shaped face. In that moment, Sasuke felt his heart beat faster than he had ever felt before.

He never thought of Sakura romantically. His world was previously riddled with revenge and destruction. A constant obsession to become stronger and find a way to bring down his brother was all that ever occupied his mind. In that exact moment however, he was at peace with his family and it was the first time he was actually looking at Sakura. Previously, he had regarded her as a teammate, a mild annoyance and perhaps at time a distant friend. Now, she was a highly respected jonin and medic. In his absence, she had grown and blossomed into the most radiant flower in the village. He was proud to say they were once teammates.

Sakura peered down at him with a soft expression he couldn't quite place. She lifted her hand and waved at him. Sasuke suddenly felt awkward and stuck his hands in his pockets. He nodded back in response.

"Heading towards the hokage tower?" Sakura asked raising her voice just enough for it to reach him.

"Checking in with Naruto," Sasuke shouted back. Some civilians turned their heads at how he addressed the current hokage. Sasuke glared back at them. In a sense, the members of team 7 were the only people who had any right to address the hokage without honorifics. His eyes snapped back when he heard a soft giggle. Sakura warmly smiled down at him.

"Practice with me. Say, Uzumaki-sama," Sakura laughed. Sasuke refused to entertain her demands. She tried again.

"Do you call him that?" Sasuke asked raising an eyebrow.

"Nope!" Sakura laughed again. Her laughter was full and deep. It was no longer a girlish high pitched sound like that of a drowning cat. It was well rounded, real and infectious. Sasuke felt his lips twitch. He almost let her see the beginnings of a smile, so he rolled his eyes and turned back to the direction of the tower.

"See you around!" Sakura shouted at his back. Sasuke raised his hand goodbye without looking back.

Sasuke arrived exactly ten minutes before expected. He was never one to be late. If anything, punctuality was an important part of discipline in his book. His former sensei would probably beg to differ. When Sasuke approached the office door, Kakashi opened the door for him to step in. Sasuke stood confused for a moment trying to register the fact that his former sensei was actually in the office at such an early hour.

"Sasuke!" A bright streak of lemon yellow rushed towards the Uchiha and patted him on the back. "It feels so good to see you walking into my office again. I don't think it will ever get old."

"Baka," Sasuke muttered.

"Hey! I'm hokage now! You should address me as such." Naruto said puffing his chest out and crossing his arms.

"Ah. Excuse me, Baka-sama."

"Children, let's get on with the meeting shall we?" Kakashi cut in. It felt like the old days when the two boys would pick on each other. Most times, the arguments were simply that. Other days, Kakashi had to intervene and tear the two boys to prevent the space from becoming covered in blood, spit and of course broken bits of trees or rocks.

"Right, right," Naruto cleared his throat and took a seat behind his desk. "While you've been gone Sasuke, we had a few incidents where some teams of civilian medics guarded by our leaf were attacked. There were five casualties. The motive was unclear, but we are certain that they were gauging the two teams. Both incidents took place at different times and locations, but they are certainly related. When Anbu was sent back to gather any information from the site of the attacks, they found nothing. The bodies were brought back and analyzed. The autopsies show that a chemical agent was introduced directly into their spines with these…" Naruto trailed off as he produced small vials in the palm of his hand. They looked almost like pieces of a broken syringe needle.

Sasuke picked up the tiny vials and rolled them in his hands. "I'd heard about the attack while I was in water country."

"The vials contained a poison of sorts but it also contained something else. It's some sort of mixture infused with chakra," Kakashi interjected. "The hokage has personally assigned Sakura and Tsunade the task of identifying this foreign substance but so far they haven't been able to label it exactly."

"What do they know of it so far?" Sasuke inquired.

"It is a mixture of foreign chakras but we have no idea whose it is," Naruto sighed. "We have no idea why an unknown assailant would attack our medics with this mix."

Sasuke's frown deepened. When he returned to Konoha, he had wanted to return at a time of peace. Although, he was certain in the world, peace was hard to come by. Sighing deeply he began, "There have been whispers of a syndicate group made up of rogue nin, something akin to Akatsuki. I know that there is one leading the whole group and a second in command. The size, where and how deeply rooted this syndicate is…well it's still up in the air."

"The head of the syndicate, do you have any leads?" Naruto asked looking hopeful.

"None as of yet," Sasuke stated flatly.

"I'm sending another team of Anbu out tomorrow. We need to know why this syndicate group is targeting Konoha," Naruto said rubbing his eyes. "Kakashi-sensei, I think you'll be using your Anbu mask come this time tomorrow."

"Of course Hokage-sama," Kakashi said bowing his head down swiftly.

"Leave no stone un-turned, and all rules are off the table if you get my drift," Naruto said looking serious. Kakashi's expression grew dark.

"Loud and clear," Kakashi said.

"Come back later for a briefing," Naruto instructed before Kakashi saluted the two with two fingers raised at his brow before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"A lot of change is about to happen Sasuke. I can feel it. It's almost like the air these days is charged with electricity or something. I can even feel Kurama stirring within me," Naruto said furrowing his brow. He turned to lean against the window to look out at the bright morning view of the village he was sworn to protect.

Sasuke internally agreed with Naruto. There were certainly many problems to consider and changes to come, but for some reason his mind kept wandering back to the pink haired angel he had spotted earlier that morning.


	5. Boys Not Allowed

Sakura finally forced herself to take a long shower. It felt strange to continue her day with this small seedling of hope instilled in her heart. Skipping back into the kitchen, she pulled the fruit tart from her fridge and divided the remainder into large slices and packaged them in plain wax paper. After weighing her options, Sakura also decided to throw in a small ribbon as a decorative touch. She was feeling creative today. Most people, however, would never guess she was an avid baker with a girly side when most of the village only heard about her monstrous strength and temper problem.

Today, she would head over to the tower to deposit the small snack for Naruto and stop by the hospital to give a slice to Moeka. If she could manage to hunt Kakashi down, she would give him a slice too.

After rummaging through her closet, Sakura finally fished out her favorite red sweater and a pair of simple black tights. Sometime in the afternoon, she planned on reading more among the trees as per usual. No matter how busy her day was, she wouldn't miss some time in the peaceful early fall sun.

Locking up her front door, Sakura skipped down the stairwell and out the lobby door. She waved hello to Mr. Fukuda, who was lazily sitting in the shade waiting for passing people to take notice of his fares. Her first stop would be at the tower and then the hospital.

The sun was now fully shining its light on everything. It was hard to see things with such a strong glare. Raising a hand over her eyes to shield them, she sprinted down the streets. Running to the front door to the tower, she greeted the guards and let herself in.

"Good morning Harada-san!" Sakura chirped to the woman seated at the front desk.

"Ah, good morning Haruno-san! Are you here to see the hokage?" The woman smiled. Kyoko Harada was a sweet woman working as a secretary for almost twenty years now. Her hair was peppered with white among a backdrop of hair as black as night. Although she was in her late 40's, she barely had a wrinkle on her face. Sakura guessed it was due to her cheerful attitude and constant smiling.

Sakura nodded in reply and waved again before setting up the stairs to Naruto's office. She rapped on the door twice before stepping in. Naruto instantly brightened upon seeing her face.

"Sakura, you came to help me get through all of this paperwork on your day off? How sweet of you!" Naruto joked tapping the large pile of papers on his desk.

"I'm just as busy as you are Naruto. I don't need any extra work," Sakura sighed as she set her bag down on a chair. "I'm going to be heading to the hospital after this to drop off something for Moeka and check up on some of the lab results."

"Moeka? She works in the ER, right?" Naruto asked while he flipped through another file.

"That would be the one. She's quite the fast learner and hard worker. On top of that, she's one of the biggest sweethearts I know."

"If she's single, maybe I can set her up with one of Hinata's cousins…" Naruto thought deeply about this. Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"They had such trouble accepting you, how do you think they might react if she's a civilian with absolutely no ninja background to her family's name?"

"I'm just trying to connect hearts and make people happy!" Naruto said trying his best to sound noble.

"Hm…yeah well actually you just sound like those old nosy women who try to marry off people because they have nothing better to do," Sakura groaned bitterly as she recalled an incident just last week of such a type of woman. She irritatingly tried to set Sakura up with her own son in the middle of the supermarket. She had whipped out a photograph of the man and kept mentioning how Sakura's time was ticking away. It almost took all of her courage not to deposit the old woman in the garbage outside after she saw the photograph. The man looked something similar to what she and the rest of team 7 had imagined Kakashi might look like under his mask when they were only children. The man had obnoxiously large lips with crooked teeth and a giant hairy mole in the middle of his face. Sakura was not such a shallow woman to judge a man solely on his appearance, but she also had more respect for herself than to accept an arrangement for marriage in the middle of a market from an absolute stranger.

"Again, I'm happily married and just seeing what I could do to spread the cheer. Which brings me to you…" Naruto said cautiously.

Sakura shot him a death glare that made him shrink. "You really don't want to go there right now."

Naruto shrugged at her point. After a second, he scrunched his nose and gave a sniff. He sniffed a few more times before he got up from his chair and snaked his way around her to stand in front of the bag.

"Did you bring me something?" Naruto smiled.

"I did. Here, don't eat it in one bite," Sakura laughed. Naruto gave her a quick hug. "You know, you're the jinchuuriki with unfathomable power, hokage, AND have close friends who are considered some of the greatest ninja in history. Yet, when I see how fast you sniff out a snack and get so excited, my brain can't wrap my mind around how child-like you actually are," Sakura sighed as she watched Naruto comparing a few slices to pick the biggest one.

Naruto gave a soft smile. "I'm just really happy. I'm married to a beautiful and kind woman, my village is safe, and I feel like I have my family back."

Sakura smiled back feeling silly that she had just berated Naruto for his happiness. Sasuke's absence and departure hadn't just affected her but Naruto and Kakashi. In truth, they really were the only family that Naruto had ever known. As much as it tore Sakura's heart in half to see Sasuke leave those years ago, deep down she knew the loss of a brother was just as painful for Naruto.

"I had a streak in my younger years when I needed to prove myself. I was always searching to become better not for anyone but for myself. I needed to confirm for myself that I had worth and that I deserved a place in this world. But the funny thing is that my heart felt empty being on my own. I let the days pass me by in a blur of training to be strong. That's why I'm so thankful for Hinata. She ignited the desire for me to always strive for a meaningful life. She colored my world with happiness and each day feels like a gift."

Sakura blushed at such a romantic confession from Naruto. Only a minute ago she had admonished him for being such a baby at times and yet here he was saying something only a real experienced man would say. That was Naruto's charm. He had the ability to have a vivacious aura about him like that of a child but the wisdom of a man.

Naruto seemed to notice Sakura's glossy eyes and cleared his throat in embarrassment. Sakura chuckled as a light blush graced his tan cheeks. She threw her arms around his shoulders and gave a tight squeeze.

"I think that little romantic spiel earned you an extra slice of tart," Sakura said leaving two packaged slices on his desk.

Naruto hoisted her up in to the air by the waist and laughed as he spun her several times. The two said nothing else but continued to smile. Moments like these reminded them both of how lucky they were. They grew up together seeing the heartache, struggle and pain. Today, they were happy and at peace. That was enough to laugh and celebrate.

* * *

Sakura finally stepped foot in the hospital and made her way to see Tsunade. No matter how busy she was, any time she came to the hospital, she had paid her shishou a visit. When Naruto became hokage, he had asked Tsunade to serve as the chief executive officer of the main hospital in Konoha. It only made sense that her legendary medical skills be put to use. Although she sat at the top of the food chain, Tsunade made it clear that she would dip her hands in everything. She often made her rounds to help in almost every department. Shizune had been appointed the chief nursing officer and Sakura was appointed the position of chief operating officer.

Sakura was about to knock on Tsunade's door when she heard loud crashes on the floor above her. As she furrowed her brow to look up at the ceiling, Shizune cut in as she walked past her with a clipboard in her hands.

"She's pissed. I think you might want to skip your little visit for now," Shizune said without looking up.

"What's she so pissed about?" Sakura asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

"I think some of the new staff that came in to replace those nurses we lost, have been messing up. Apparently this morning, she found that patient charts weren't marked correctly and already filed away, so it set us back weeks' worth of filing. I don't know…I'd be pretty pissed too," Shizune said stuffing her pen back into her breast pocket.

"Sounds like you'll need one of these…" Sakura trailed as she pulled out a slice of tart.

"Oooh~ you made something yesterday?" Shizune smiled. "I'll definitely have this with my tea later during my break. You got anything for your old shishou?"

Sakura laughed and reached into her pouch. For this exact reason, she always kept a few handy. Sakura pulled out a tiny scroll rolled up into a tight bundle. She pulled the tiny ribbon open and with the movement of a few quick hand-seals, she released the contents. With a quiet 'pop' and a tiny cloud of smoke, a rather large sake bottle was produced.

"Just leave it on her desk. I'm sure she'll know you stopped by," Shizune said as she placed the tart on her own desk. "I'll see you around, ne?" Shizune waved.

"See you sooner than you think," Sakura laughed.

"Sakura-san!"

Sakura jumped lightly. For a woman who had absolutely no ninja training, she swore Moeka was as silent as one at times. She had the ability to creep up on her a few times and nearly startle the poor kunoichi out of her skin.

"Moeka-chan! How many times do I have to tell you make some sound when you approach me! I swear, if only you'd entered the academy, you would have made one hell of a stealthy shinobi," Sakura said placing a hand over her heart to calm herself.

"Ah, sorry!" Moeka blushed. "What are you doing here on your day off?"

"I've made so many pit-stops I don't even remember anymore," Sakura said sarcastically. "But I do remember that I needed to give you this!" Sakura said placing a thick slice of tart in her hand.

"Ah, Sakura-san! Thank you so much! It looks delicious!" Moeka blushed. "When you have time, could you share the recipe?"

"Of course! Better yet, why don't you stop by tomorrow in the evening and we could make something even better!"

"That sounds perfect. My shift ends at 4:30, and I could come by around 5:30 if you don't mind. I don't think I could stand to bake without a good wash," Moeka said grimly thinking about how dirty a medic could get in a hospital, especially when they were working the ER.

"That sounds great," Sakura replied warmly touching Moeka's shoulder. "So, my old shishou is pretty pissed off at the moment and I'm almost tempted not to touch that with a 50 foot pole. I wanted to leave a tart for her too but I have a feeling that she won't even take a bite unless it was soaked in sake overnight."

Moeka giggled at the declaration. "I think those new nurses really did a number. I was actually heading up there now to see what I could do to…er…minimize the damage."

"Ah~ how noble of you Moeka! How has the emergency room been?" Sakura asked pulling her hair behind her ear.

"Well, it's been the usual. Thankfully, it's been relatively quiet since most of the shinobi that are out on missions haven't returned yet. But kami, those academy students get themselves into so much trouble! I had one student admitted twice today within an hour. He somehow snapped his leg in two spots after trying to mimic a teleportation jutsu when he wasn't supposed to. Then, he goes and gets a shuriken stuck in his rear." Moeka frowned. She sighed deeply remembering back to the howling young boy.

"Let me guess, Koto?"

"How did you know?!" Moeka asked astounded.

"Trust me, I might not be a teacher but I'm around the school and hospital enough to pick out the troublemakers. He almost sounds like Naruto in his younger years too." Sakura laughed.

"It's funny now, but he put up such a fight when we needed to give him a few shots. You'd think with such serious training a little syringe would be nothing," Moeka continued.

"Well, you have to nip that bad habit in the bud or else he'll turn out like Kakashi-sensei," Sakura sighed. He really was just a big baby stuck in a man's body…hidden behind a permanent mask. "Speaking of my former sensei, you haven't seen him around have you?"

"Ah, no. I'm afraid not. I don't think he likes hanging around the hospital very much. He came in briefly last week to escort Koto's other teammate," Moeka answered timidly.

"Akira? Oh that's right. I think Kakashi-sensei had mentioned he got a nasty burn on his arm after trying to use a jutsu while Kakashi had his back turned." Sakura said thinking back in her memory for the exact story.

"Well, children will be children. Besides, I think he really was just trying to burn that mask off his face. Silly really since no one would be able to win against such a famous ninja…"

"Such kind words, miss. Please, continue."

Moeka squeaked at the sudden interruption. During their brief conversation, Kakashi had materialized.

"Yo."

"Hello, Hatake-san." Moeka greeted shyly.

"Oh, no need to be so formal Moeka, you can just call him Pervert. It really suits him better," Sakura said off-handedly as she pulled at a hang nail with irritation.

"Kids these days have no respect," Kakashi mumbled.

"Have you come for your long overdue shots?" Sakura mused.

"I am up to date thank you," Kakashi shot back as he patted her on the back. Sakura snorted loudly at his blatant lie. "I was here actually to see how the progress was about your research on the special vials that were recovered after the attacks." Kakashi asked on a more serious note. He stole a quick glance at Moeka and then back at Sakura. Sensing the nature of a delicate topic, Moeka cleared her throat.

"Ah, I have to return these charts to Tsunade-sama before I help out upstairs. I'll see you tomorrow Sakura-san?" Moeka asked sweetly.

"Of course! We can have dinner, wine and then of course dessert," Sakura said excitedly. She hadn't had a good girl's night and was looking forward to catching up and talking about her non-existent love life. Moeka nodded and gave a gentle smile to Kakashi before bowing and exiting the room. Kakashi watched the petite figure diminish into the distance. Sakura caught that his eyes seemed to linger for a moment too long on Moeka's form. She raised an eyebrow at his sudden interest.

"Dinner party?" Kakashi asked thinking about the food that Sakura would make.

"Why? Are you jealous?" Sakura teased.

"I am merely inquiring about your future plans," Kakashi shot back trying his best to look hurt.

"Right," Sakura said rolling her eyes and waving her hand in his face. "Just caring about your former student and not looking for an opportunity to mooch a free meal?"

"Precisely."

"Well, it's a girl's night at my place. Clearly, you're not a woman, so you're not invited," Sakura said turning up her nose at him.

"Doesn't mean you can't make extra and pack me leftovers."

"Kami, you don't deserve this slice of fruit tart," Sakura groaned.

"Did you say fruit tart?"

* * *

Making his way down the hallway, Sasuke held a thick folder of documents in his hand. Without knocking, he pushed Naruto's office door open. Naruto didn't bother looking up from his desk and just motioned for the Uchiha to take a seat.

"These are the documents that the council has asked me to fill out since my return," Sasuke stated flatly.

"You didn't need to finish them so quickly," Naruto said looking up briefly to scowl at the stack of papers.

"I didn't have much else to do."

Naruto smirked at his statement. "As soon as things are sorted, you can go out on a mission or two to stretch your legs. Have you signed the form to have your arm healed?" Naruto asked suddenly looking serious again.

"I've gotten used to the…inconvenience," Sasuke said carefully choosing his words.

"Just admit it. It's a handicap," Naruto said putting his pen down. "You know it is."

"I don't have a handicap," Sasuke scowled.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto reached over to look at the stack of papers Sasuke had dumped on his other million stacks of papers. He pulled out a yellow form and saw that the bottom was neatly signed. "Good."

"When will I be able to take missions again?" Sasuke questioned.

"Well, the council isn't quite convinced that you plan on staying for good or that you are loyal to the village. It may take some time to gain their trust back, but I don't think it will take long. With the recent attacks, the council is eager to get our elite on the move to find answers. Are you starting to get bored and restless?" Naruto asked with a playful tone.

"I'm not bored," Sasuke growled.

"Right, because being stuck in the village with nothing to do isn't boring. If you're really that bored, you can help me with these documents," Naruto offered while running his hands across the stacks.

"I'd rather take a kunai to the eye."

"Yep, you're definitely bored," Naruto laughed. Sasuke's scowl deepened into a frown.

In truth, Sasuke WAS bored. His prior years had been full of purpose. He had a freedom to do as he pleased and had a purpose to live. His reason to live was to kill at the time. Now, he was confined to the walls of the village and had no goals to speak of. In truth, Sasuke was going crazy. The few nights before his arrival had been difficult but being back was harder. He felt useless.

Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a hard knock on the door. Both Naruto and Sasuke turned to see Kakashi push through the office door.

"Kakashi-sensei, did you hear of any developments?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Negative."

"Damnit. Alright, well thanks for checking in for me," Naruto mumbled.

"Are you two fighting about who is busier?" Kakashi smirked under his mask. In truth, Kakashi had passed by the old training grounds earlier and had seen that Sasuke spent almost all day training alone. He knew it must have been quite unsettling to have had such a chaotic life only to return home and find everything was quite uneventful. In addition, the conversation they had at the old Uchiha compound further confirmed his suspicions that Sasuke was probably bored. Sasuke actually planned on cleaning every inch of his old family home. Such productivity Kakshi could never understand, especially when he now had so much freedom to do as he pleased.

Sasuke scoffed at Kakashi's comment.

"Well, just trying to think of a way to help Sasuke stay…occupied," Naruto carefully stated, watching Sasuke's expression closely. Anything else might make the Uchiha snap and smack Naruto on the head.

"Don't you have some free time tomorrow Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Hm…I do have two hours free in the afternoon. Why?"

"Sasuke here plans on fixing up the old Uchiha compound. Why don't you help?" Kakashi asked casually.

"Oh, well you don't have any missions for the next two days, so you should come too sensei," Naruto wasn't going to be the only one to suffer through this. Kakashi cursed under his breath.

"I don't really want either of you to help…" Sasuke added scowling. Sasuke had a suspicion that their "help" would realistically be Kakashi dictating orders while he sat in the shade with his nose in a book while Naruto constantly asked questions about different things he would come across in the old home. He felt his eye twitch ever so slightly.

"You're welcome," Kakashi said dismissively. "So I guess we can clean up and then head over to Sakura's after in the evening. Naruto, you can meet us there with Hinata after you finish up in the office," Kakashi continued.

"Sakura's place?" Sasuke asked in confusion.

"What's going on there? Sakura usually doesn't like having people over after such a long time without a real day off," Naruto asked cautiously.

"Oh you boys didn't hear? She mentioned something about a dinner party when I met her at the hospital earlier." Kakashi was convinced that somewhere in that conversation she had included a casual invitation to her "girls only" dinner. Yes, he was sure he was invited. "I'm sure I was invited, so the rest of team 7 should be there."


	6. The Uninvited

Sakura woke to the familiar sound of her alarm clock ringing. The overwhelming sensation of déjà vu hit her as she realized she had another free day to enjoy. Even better, tonight she would have a girl's night with Moeka. Sakura stretched like a lazy cat with her blankets strewn about. Rolling onto her stomach, she cradled her chin in the palm of her hand and pondered what to cook for dinner tonight. Perhaps some sort of don?

Sighing deeply, Sakura moved to ponder in the shower. She delighted in the feeling of the hot water streaming down her hair and back. Shizune had gifted her with a strawberry infused body wash after her last mission. The body wash was probably the best Sakura had ever used. Tsunade had claimed that this particular body wash company was famous for sustaining a pleasant smell all day. She proved it once when she had drunk enough sake that the alcohol seemed to seep out of her skin. True to her claim, her shishou was definitely hung over (or still drunk) but smelt like a bowl of mint tea, her favorite from the various scents.

After rinsing off and drying her hair, Sakura made the decision to start her day reading. The cool quiet morning would be the perfect environment. She went into the kitchen and threw an apple in her bag and thought to herself that she desperately needed to keep her bags in better condition. From the quick glance, she noticed a flattened ancient granola bar and medical ointments at the bottom among a few abandoned sticks of lip balm and notepads covered in doodles and observations. Skipping back to her room, she scooped up her usual red attire and tan pants.

* * *

Sakura felt her breath hitch as she turned to the next page. The main character had just discovered that his long lost love was not dead. She almost had to restrain herself from biting off her own lip in anticipation. A cool breeze swept through the air and tossed Sakura's pink locks over her eyes. She quickly swatted the intrusive locks away from her eyes. Her heart shuddered in pain as she read the description of the protagonist. _In a single moment, all of his wildest dreams came to life while the worst of his fears were gone in an instant. Although his heart was going to burst, he also thought of what it meant to know his lover was alive. It would mean trying to make up for lost time. It meant loving her even more for coming back. It also meant the possibility that things wouldn't work or that she wouldn't want him._

Sakura slipped her bookmark over the page and slid her book shut. Her mind betrayed her need to relax and read. Instead, it lingered over the image of a dark haired man. She was beyond ecstatic to see him again both because she loved him as a member of their team 7 family but because he had always held her heart in his calloused hands. Falling back into the old dynamic they had as a team wouldn't be difficult, but Sasuke still had a question he needed to answer. His return would lead to his answer to whether he would give Sakura a romantic chance.

Sakura sat for a moment longer before she huffed loudly. She could feel her patience wearing thin. Years ago, she had said that she would wait for Sasuke forever. In reality, as time passed she understood that a man's heart either changed or it stayed firm. The longer it took for him to open up to her, the more her suspicions about the latter theory seemed to hold true. He was never emotionally open (unless of course it was showing rage or hatred) but she knew that there was love in him. He had love for his family, his brother, his team and his village. Wasn't that exactly why he came around and returned after looking for independent redemption? Sakura could feel a muscle in her head starting to ache as she knew a Sasuke-induced headache was about to come.

"You'll get wrinkles in no time if you keep frowning like that forehead."

Sakura watched as a blonde blur from the ground pounced up onto her branch. Ino delicately flipped her signature long ponytail over her shoulder. Sakura ignored her blonde bestie and huffed again.

"What's got you in such a funk? You'd be pointing out my crow's feet by now which by the way aren't that bad," Ino said as she rubbed the corners of her eyes. Ino watched as Sakura seemed to try and piece together her thoughts. The pink haired woman brought her knees up and rested her chin on them.

"Let me guess. It's Sasuke?" Ino asked hesitantly. Ino had seen Sakura's temper flare up on more than one occasion and rarely were they ever directed at herself, but she wasn't willing to experience it today. Sakura nodded. "Did…you guys talk?"

"By talk, if you mean have an annoyingly vague conversation full of allusions, then yes we did," Sakura groaned. She slapped her palm on her forehead.

"Well…you guys…talked. That's good even if the exchange sounds a step above terrible," Ino said nodding her head and trying to put on a positive expression. "I mean, we're talking about the man who NEVER talks, so even if you pried a few words out of him, that's enough right?"

"I mean it wasn't all terrible. I tried to ask why he never wrote but he didn't seem too keen on sharing the details, so I let it go," Sakura said sitting up again. Sucking in a deep breath, she started, "I asked him to try new things, but he said he couldn't promise but then again he went ahead and took a bite of my tart so I guess that means it's a pretty big change, right? I mean that's a pretty big step in itself really."

Ino scrunched her nose. "Alright forehead, you need to slow down. You're talking at the speed of light. What's this about change and tart? Why are you so moved by his sudden interest in sweets?"

"I asked him to stay for dinner the night he came back, and I also offered him some tart. He said no obviously because he hates sweets. He seemed really lost being at my place alone with me, so he started doing the dishes," Sakura scoffed. At this point in the conversation, Ino's mouth hung open in shock.

"He did your dishes? What the hell is going on?" Ino laughed.

"I know! Well anyway, before he left I asked him to try new things, to open himself to other things. He said he couldn't promise me those changes and then left. But when I went to eat my tart, he…well he had taken a bite of it before he left. I didn't even see him do it," Sakura said feeling bubbly thinking about the incident again.

"Oh…OH! Kami, Sakura that's big! At the same time, what the hell does that mean?" Ino said tapping her cheek. "Does that mean he will try new things like sweets or is he saying you have a chance?"

"Baka, that's why I'm sitting here in this 'funk' remember?" Sakura yelled rolling her eyes.

"All I can conclude from this update is that you need to be approachable," Ino said casually.

"What the hell does that mean? How much more approachable can I be? I've confessed my love to him more than a dozen times. Shall I have "Uchiha Lover" tattooed on my forehead? Or perhaps start a cult religion that worships him?" Sakura asked with an edge of hysteria. "Kami, I feel like I'm more lost about what to do than I was a year ago."

"First off, that's not what I meant. What I meant is that maybe you need to be patient just a little longer and let him know you're waiting on an answer but that you're openly waiting for the right answer." Ino lovingly patted Sakura's hand.

"That's the thing. Sasuke took years to open his mind and heart up to team 7. Then, he took years hating on his brother and running all over the damn world to avenge his family. When I finally thought the wait was over, he goes and decides he messed up big time and needed MORE time to go away and collect his thoughts. I mean, I don't blame him for needing time after knowing the truth about his brother and his family. I'm just starting to think that he'll need more time…like there might not be _enough_ time. What if I fell in love with the man that will never be ready?" Sakura said with her voice barely above a whisper.

"Well…I guess you have a tough decision to make. You either bank on him being a man worth waiting for, or you move on," Ino said shrugging. "I want you to have the fairytale ending you deserve, but if a man can't love a woman who has been there for him through thick and thin AND is willing to forgive all of his transgressions, I don't think he deserves you."

"Ugh, I can't anymore. I just need to enjoy this gem of a day off. I can't wait to hang out with Moeka and just guzzle…er sip wine," Sakura sighed leaning back against the tree. "You should come. We're going to bake too."

"Oh darling, you know I don't do domestic, but I'd happily come to drink and sample the goods," Ino smirked with a wink.

"Fine with me. Come around 5. I'll be prepping the food, and Moeka will be there around 5:30. Don't come empty handed," Sakura laughed smacking Ino playfully.

"You say that every time! For the record, I did NOT come empty handed that time," Ino snorted.

"You brought a shinobi from Sand on one arm and another from the neighboring village. That's coming empty handed. They were neither edible items nor alcoholic beverages, so there you go," Sakura said poking Ino in the forehead.

"Who says they weren't yummy?" Ino purred.

"Oh…you are such a…"

"Beautiful blonde? I know" she said flipping her blonde hair.

"I'm telling Sai."

"You wouldn't! That happened before we started dating!"

"Maybe you still keep 'yummies' at home? Who's to say?" Sakura said seriously.

"Bitch."

"Yeah, yeah. See you later ok? I think I'm going to go shopping now." Without a pause, Sakura stood up darted off to the village market.

* * *

Sakura just finished picking up her groceries and headed down the street back to her apartment when she saw a familiar figure in the distance. The old woman who tried to set her up a few weeks ago with her unfortunate looking son was walking along a food stall. To her horror, the mentioned son was also in tow. Sakura made a sharp right and took a detour.

Slowing down her pace, she thought about what Ino had mentioned earlier. It was true. A man who couldn't see the value in a woman who patiently waits for him is no good. Sakura was willing to wait for Sasuke, but that would only be possible if he gave more than an 'I'll try' as his response. Deep down, she knew eventually her heart wouldn't be able to bear the strain.

The sound of her sandal crushing a small shard of glass on the street snapped her back to reality. Before she had even realized where she was heading, she had made her way towards the abandoned Uchiha sector. She recognized the cream colored walls and deep indigo gate. Surprisingly, the gate wasn't shut and it seemed that the old Uchiha courtyard was in fact full of life.

"Baka, I told you that we're throwing that out," Sasuke growled at Naruto.

"It's a perfectly good drawer! I'm sure that if I brought it to the house, Hinata would agree that it's a waste," Naruto shot back as he rubbed the dust off the top.

"It's got mold on the back," Kakashi commented from his position in a tree. His eyes never let the little orange book in his hands.

"You guys are so wasteful!" Naruto yelled.

"I don't think Hinata would appreciate a rotten dresser, Naruto. Although, I'm sure she would appreciate your consideration of her," Sakura cut in as she turned to make her way into the courtyard.

As she entered into the full view of the courtyard, she nearly fell over from a heart attack. Amongst a few piles of broken shoji doors, broken window frames and furniture left to be thrown out stood a shirtless Naruto and Sasuke. Just as her eyes lightly roved over the broad planes of Sasuke's chest and to the graceful and strong dip of his collar bone, a lone bead of sweat rolled down his neck. She swallowed hard and almost immediately felt her throat dry up.

Sasuke was the definition of godly. His muscles were strong and defined but not overly bulky. He was lean and his muscles screamed agility. Sakura had to bite her tongue when he moved forward to throw another piece of broken plywood to a pile and saw his thick veins bulging from his forearms.

"Sakura! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked giving her a light hug.

"Oh, jeez, Naruto…you're all sweaty," Sakura said rubbing the excess moisture on the top of her forehead. "I was just heading home and came down this way because of a few…road blocks."

Sasuke looked briefly at Sakura before ripping out a damaged tree from the courtyard garden. Sakura felt herself turn hot in the face from the brief moment of attention.

"So…what are you boys up to?" Sakura said this time regarding their former sensei currently perched in the tree.

"Well, we have to help a comrade both in the battlefield and in his daily life," Kakashi said saluting Sasuke.

"I want to fix up the manor and return it to its…former state," Sasuke cut in looking Sakura straight in the eyes.

"Ah, well it definitely needs a little bit of re-decorating. All of the original wooden floors seem to have survived time pretty well," the pink haired medic responded as she surveyed a few doorless rooms.

"It's a beautiful manor. I'm sure it'll be a perfect home once it's fixed," Naruto said wiping more sweat off of his brow.

"Well, I won't hold you two back from finishing up. You two seem like you're on a roll," Sakura said shyly as she made her own cue for an exit.

"Three," Kakashi chimed in from the shade.

"Right," she said disapprovingly. Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto gave her a thumbs up.

"We'll see you later Sakura!" Naruto yelled to her back as she retreated. She just waved without a glance back. If only she knew.

* * *

Placing the last of the sliced mushrooms onto a tray, Sakura took a long look at her handiwork. She had already washed and prepped the vegetables for the shabu shabu. The night air was starting to settle and prickle her skin but the last warm beams of sun were streaking into her living room. It'd be a perfect mild early fall evening for hot soup.

Even before the knock came, she heard footsteps approaching in the corridor outside of her door. Wiping her hands on a kitchen towel quickly, she headed for the door just in time to hear a few soft knocks. She didn't bother to look and opened the door.

"Moeka! Welcome! Come in, come in," Sakura said excitedly as she pulled the petite girl into her apartment. "It's getting a little chilly, isn't it?" Sakura questioned after seeing on Moeka's flushed cheeks. Moeka smiled nervously.

"Well, that's what sake is for right?" she responded and pulled out a massive bottle of sake from her bag. "I figure we might need some wine too." Another large bottle of white wine materialized. Sakura had to look at Moeka again just to check that she was indeed carrying a bag and not a wine factory conveyor belt.

"Perfect. Ino should be here any minute. Let's go put the food on the table and then I can show you what we'll be baking tonight," Sakura said over her shoulder as she led the brunette into the kitchen.

"Ooh! Are we doing shabu?" Moeka asked as she saw studied the various green vegetables and tofu sitting on Sakura's counter.

"Bingo. Could you give me a hand?" Sakura said turning to hand Moeka a plate with sliced mushrooms and thinly sliced beef. The girls laid the spread out on Sakura's living room coffee table.

"So what's tonight dessert lesson?" Moeka asked excited.

"Cream puffs" Sakura said wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

Moeka sighed in pleasure. "I. Love. Cream. Puffs. If I get this recipe down, I might get big," she laughed as she pulled on the waistband of her skirt. Sakura laughed when Moeka started rubbing her belly absent mindedly.

"I highly doubt a few cream puffs will make you fill out that much," Sakura replied putting her hands on her hips. "You're tiny. You can eat as many as you want."

"If I didn't do any of the exercises my father taught me as a little girl and go running every morning, I might be a little meatball," Moeka laughed while stretching her cheeks to look like a hamster. Sakura laughed at her impression of the meaty treat and went back to the counter for a bottle opener.

Moeka made her way to Sakura's balcony doors and pulled back the curtain just a bit to look outside. The sun was far across the horizon and the street lights were beginning to blink into existence. On the far corner of the street, stood a man in anbu gear and a mask under a light that seemed to flicker in and out of life. Moeka swallowed hard once before the figure vanished. The figure had moved so quickly, she couldn't tell which direction it headed. Her mind spun with worry that the figure had been staring straight at her. Pulling the heavy glass door open, she peeked out onto the street only to find the villagers making their way home or out.

"Moeka? What are you doing? Ino is at the front door," Sakura said over her shoulder as she walked over to her apartment door. Sakura raised an eyebrow at Moeka's confused and embarrassed expression. Sakura pulled her door open and waved to her blonde best friend. "The only people that use my balcony door to get in are Naruto and…"

"Yo."

Moeka's focus broke as she heard a deep voice right in front of her. She turned her neck so quickly she was sure she would have a cramp in the morning. Kakashi stood so close, she was looking at his chest as he leaned on the open doorframe. With eyes as wide as saucers, Moeka froze as she leaned back and away from the shinobi who apparently seemed to have no concept of personal space. Time seemed to tick forever before Moeka realized she wasn't just leaning back but falling. Her expression of surprise turned into one of fear.

Before she could blink, Kakashi's hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist and gave a gentle tug and twist. In one swift move, he set her upright back on her feet with her back to his chest. Propelling her forward, Moeka's legs seemed to move on their own.

"Sakura! We're here!" Naruto announced from behind Kakashi.

"Wh..what in the world are you two doing here?" Sakura said incredulously as Ino sat on the couch and crossed her legs.

"Actually, that would be three," Kakashi said pointing behind him at first seemingly at Naruto until Sasuke's dark figure popped through the door.

"Eh? You can't just crash a girl's night!" Sakura yelled jabbing Kakashi in the shoulder with an angry finger.

"But I thought we were invited. Kakashi-sensei said we were invited." Naruto's face scrunched in confusion as he finished his sentence. Sakura growled loudly as she glared daggers at Kakashi. He scratched his head and mumbled something about needing to see an ear doctor.

"Well, if you're here, might as well just enjoy the night together, ne?" Ino chirped. Sakura didn't quite appreciate her blonde bestie giving permission to people to stay in HER home for a meal and dessert she would be slaving over. But, the idea of kicking out her boys seemed even more ridiculous.

"Besides, looks like the party just started," Ino said pointing into the kitchen. Five sets of eyes turned their attention to the kitchen where a petite brunette leaned on the counter. The huge bottle of wine that she had brought was cracked open in a hurry. When their gaze landed on the wine glass in her hands, she guzzled the last of the merlot.

"Uh…." Sakura was floored by Moeka's odd behavior. Before rushing into the kitchen, Sakura shooed her boys away from the door and had them sit around the coffee table. Scurrying quickly to kitchen and grabbing Ino on the way there, Sakura beelined for her friend.

"Moeka are you alright? You should slow down," Sakura insisted as she pulled Moeka's glass away before she could pour herself another glass.

"I'm fine…I'm just excited to unwind for the night," Moeka lied through her teeth.

Not wanting to pry into her personal business any longer, Sakura let the subject go. "Alright, well let's take this into the living room. We should have some hot shabu with these goodies," Ino said grabbing the bottle of sake. Moeka braved a smile and nodded.

The boys already started heating the dashi broth inside the pot. To the ladies' surprise, they had also put out the plates and chopsticks. Sakura silently handed the extra chopsticks and spoons to Sasuke as he put a plate down. Sasuke nodded and accepted the chopsticks and handed another pair to Naruto.

"It's a good night for this," Sasuke said as he watched the broth begin to bubble. He looked up to see Naruto's eye twitching, Ino's mouth open, Sakura looking like she had seen a ghost and Kakashi's eyebrow just gently twitch.

"Buddy, are you making small talk?" Naruto asked with slight fear. Sasuke frowned at his expression and ignored him.

"If small-talk coming from an Uchiha can confuse and shock you, you're crazy. This man has sacrificed a lot for a village that has treated him like dirt at times. That's what's really shocking," Moeka barked. Moeka placed a few pieces of thin raw meat into the boiling broth. In almost an instant, the meat turned brown and when it did, she placed the slices on Sasuke's plate.

"He just got back. I think you should be supportive of his efforts instead of teasing him," Moeka finished as she dunked a piece of nappa cabbage into the broth. Naruto coughed uncomfortably before chewing on a raw piece of cabbage. Sakura felt her face glow red with embarrassment and shame.

"Well that certainly shut us up," Ino said as she glared at the unaware brunette. "You seem to grow quite bold when you're fueled up on wine," she continued with a strained smile.

In that moment, it seemed that Moeka seemed aware of her uncharacteristic and very brutally honest outburst. Chewing on her lip in awkward silence, she decided they needed more drinks.

"I'll go get the water," Moeka whispered as she shakily stood up to get more glasses and the water pitcher.

"I'll help," Sasuke chimed in. He took his chopsticks and said a quick _itadakimasu_ before putting the meat Moeka put on his plate into his mouth. He rose and followed Moeka into the kitchen.

"She's right. I can't act so shocked about Sasuke's behavior. He's not exactly the same as he was when we were children. I shouldn't be so juvenile about his actions now," Sakura sighed pulling her knees up.

"It doesn't make it any more familiar," Naruto mumbled in resignation.

Kakashi gave a grunt of agreeance to Naruto's statement as the chewed thoughtfully.

"How the hell do you still do that? I swear I've been watching this entire time, I didn't see the mask come down at all!" Ino cried in frustration. Sakura and Naruto looked to Kakashi whose plate was covered in small droplets of broth. The only evidence of Kakashi eating, aside from his chopsticks lingering near his face, was his slow chewing.

Back in the kitchen, Moeka pulled the water pitcher from Sakura's counter.

"You seem very at home," Sasuke said as he observed the way Moeka pulled a tray from a cabinet next to the sink to place the pitcher on.

"Over the past two years, Sakura-san and I have grown close. She helped me so much through my first year of residency at the hospital. Although I'm not a shinobi and can't use chakra to heal people faster, Sakura-san has never made me feel like that was a handicap. If anything she taught me that being able to heal and preserve a life without special abilities is more admirable," Moeka said feeling nostalgic of her first day. She remembers clearly how Sakura gave a commencement speech to the emergency wing nurses. Moeka was worried about being an inferior nurse because she didn't have chakra to aid her duties, but Sakura had instilled confidence in her.

"Uchiha-san, this is our first time meeting but I've heard many things about you. I know what it feels like to start over. If I could share a little piece of advice, I'd like to say that if you truly want a life different from the previous one, don't let yourself make regrets. We're very lucky to have a second chance to start over, but we may never have that chance again," Moeka said quietly. She smiled widely at him.

Sasuke nodded politely. He wasn't sure how he felt about this stranger giving him advice but a small voice in his head told him that if Sakura trusted her, he could too. Moeka opened a cabinet and reached for a few drinking glasses.

"I'll take them," Sasuke cut in as he pulled the rest of the cups from the shelf. He stacked them neatly on the tray and carried it out. Moeka trailed behind him. The gang shuffled again to make sure everyone had space at the table.

As the night wore on, it seemed as if everyone had spent the last few years together and never apart. The large bottle of wine and sake that Moeka bought as the girl's night offering quickly dwindled to a few drops. The food was demolished, and Kakashi rubbed his belly in satisfaction.

Sasuke noticed that the laughter, warm scent of the food and general feeling of content seemed to give the apartment a soft glow. Perhaps it was the sake, but he seemed to feel at ease. He took a quick glance over in Sakura's direction. She had drawn her knees up to rest her chin on them while trying to sip up the last few spoonfuls of broth in the pot. Her cheeks were a healthy tint of rose from the two glasses of wine she had.

Sakura could feel his eyes boring into her profile. She cleared her throat and stuffed another morsel of meat from her plate into her mouth. "So, shall we move onto dessert? I have the ingredients ready…" Sakura offered. Not to her surprise, none of the men seemed too keen on making any sort of dessert. She averted her attention to the two women. Ino simply raised her eyebrow in defiance. Hoping to find Moeka in the right spirits, she placed a hand on Moeka's knee. "How about it?"

The smile from Sakura's face faded when she realized that Moeka was as red as lobster and her eyes hooded. The long lashes lining her eyes seemed moist with tears. Sensing something might be wrong Sakura decided it was best to pull her friend away to the kitchen and see what was going on.

Swiftly jumping to her feet, Sakura pulled Moeka up by her hands. She then looked at Ino while lightly nodding into the direction of the kitchen. Ino dismissively waved her hand at Sakura while she poured herself a glass of water. Mumbling about someone being good for nothing, Sakura led her usually happy and bright friend into the kitchen.

Sitting her down in a kitchen chair, she peeked into the living to see if anyone might be eavesdropping. Naruto was currently making a bet with Kakashi and Sasuke that he could build the most elaborate stack of playing cards in the shortest amount of time. From seemingly nowhere, he pulled out a few decks of cards and handed them out. Rolling her eyes after realizing they didn't seem to have any interest in their direction at all, she turned back to Moeka.

"What's going on Moeka? You seemed so out of it all day, and you've been drinking so heavily when you're a lightweight!" Sakura said sternly smoothing out the soft chocolate locks that slipped out of her ponytail.

"It's Daiki…" Moeka said with her lip quivering.

"Your ex-boyfriend? The one in anbu? Did that asshole do something to you again?" Sakura felt the heat rising to her face. If her kitchen table hadn't been a lovely gift from Hinata as a house warming present, she would have smashed it through her wall by now.

"No…he hasn't done anything per say, but he's been following me around and telling me to come back…" Moeka said sniffling. "It's like he's taunting me."

"Ugh, I could just stab a kunai through his face. I swear…if he lays another finger…" Sakura's blood started boiling when Kakashi and Sasuke stepped into the kitchen.

"Uh, I think we're going to call it a night," Sasuke said quietly. "We can help you clean up before we go," he offered.

Moeka seemed to shrink when the men approached. She avoided their gaze and instead rubbed her neck. Suddenly, she remembered. "Oh no! But we haven't even made the cream puffs yet…" Moeka slurred.

"I don't think it's cream puffs you need right now," Kakashi interjected.

Moeka huffed before making her way back to the living. She stumbled trying to move around Kakashi and Sasuke. Ino looked at the stumbling woman like she was a maniac and decided to address her odd behavior.

"What's the matter with you?" she said in annoyance.

Moeka regarded Ino for all of three seconds before rolling her eyes. "Men these days…they have absolutely no regard for my feelings…"she rambled on.

"Um…I think we should all call it a night," Ino said putting her glass down.

"That seems like a good idea," Naruto cut in.

"Maybe that's for the best. Thank you girls for coming! Sakura hugged Ino and Moeka. Gentlemen…er…thanks for crashing? Come on Moeka. I'll walk you home. I think you've had too much tonight," Sakura said giving Moeka a look. The glance of concern was totally lost on the swaying girl.

"I'm really fine. I swear." Moeka tried her best to sound convincing. She saluted Sakura and turned. "Goodnight ladies," she slurred at Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto. "Take care gentlemen!" Moeka smiled at Ino and Sakura. Moeka slipped her shoes on and made her way out the door.

"Moeka, wait! I'll –" Sakura was cut off.

"I'll make sure she gets home alright. Where does she live?" Sasuke offered. Sakura smiled gently at his gesture.

"She lives just across the pet shop and supply store a little north of the hospital," feeling grateful for his concern.

"I can walk her. She's in my direction anyway," Kakashi cut in. He waved a short goodbye before slipping on his sandals and silently slipping through the door.

"Well forehead, this was quite the glamorous ladies night. Next time, I'll handle a girl's night out. I'll make sure there are…better fish in the pond," Ino suggested raking her eyes over Sasuke and Naruto.

"Hey, I'm a married man. I'm a taken fish," Naruto disputed.

"If Hinata didn't take you, I don't know who would have," Ino joked as she patted Naruto on the back.

"Alright, everybody out!" Sakura said shooing them towards the door. Sakura couldn't help but laugh and nudge Naruto when he seemed down from Ino's comment.

"Naruto, you're wonderful and anyone would be lucky to have you."

"Thanks Sakura. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You bet!"

"Goodnight. Thank you for the meal," Sasuke said hesitantly. He stood awkwardly behind Naruto. When Sakura took a step forward, he tensed. She lightly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze.

"You're welcome any time," Sakura responded.

Sasuke cleared his throat as he felt the warm calm enveloping his body again. It felt the same way as it did before when they were drinking but this time he was sure it wasn't the alcohol.


	7. The Fuzzy Messenger

**Writer's Note:** Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to write a review, follow, and favorite this story. It means a lot to grow as a writer and have people responding to my work after so many years. I hope I continue to tickle your fancy in the way only a fanfiction could. 3

* * *

"Hello, Sunshine~ how are ya feeling today?" Sakura asked the brunette woman currently rubbing her temples.

"I feel like someone slammed my head into a stone wall several…hundred times. Ugh, why did I drink so much?" Moeka whimpered.

"I think that might have to do with the fact that you saw your ex stalking you on your way to my house. I would have been in the mood to drink heavily too." Sakura unclicked her pen and placed it back in the white coat pocket. Moeka closed her eyes as she slumped at her desk. Sakura made her way behind Moeka and gently placed her hands on the girl's head. A soft glow of light flowed from her hands, relieving the throbbing pain.

"That feels wonderful. I wish I knew how to do that myself," Moeka sighed. "Thank you."

"My shishou wouldn't be very happy if she knew I left my friend to suffer from a hangover. She might let people suffer in pain from their own stupidity but never from drinking too much," Sakura winked.

As Moeka sat up to stretch her aching back, she heard a few nurses shouting.

"Hey! Who let that dog in?! Don't they know that pets aren't allowed in the hospital?"

Moeka and Sakura peeked their heads out the door and into the hallway. A small and very thick bodied grey pug was trotting his way down the hall. Upon seeing the two women, the dog sped up.

"Pakkun!" Sakura said bending down to scratch behind his ear.

"Hi Sakura. Ooh right there. Could you get the soft patch above my tail too?" Pakkun said nodding his towards his rear. Sakura rolled her eyes but obliged. Pakkun tapped his foot on the ground in pure delight. When Sakura gave one more hard scratch, he took notice of the other woman. Moeka sported a blush as she gazed at the plump pug. Pakkun furrowed his brows.

"Oh this is Moeka an ER nurse and good friend. Moeka, this is Pakkun one of Kakashi's most trusted summons," Sakura said nodding at the furry loaf.

"Nice to meet you," Moeka said in delight as she bent down. "May I?" She shyly asked the dog before rubbing the spot between his ears gently. Pakkun gave a dignified grunt before closing his eyes to enjoy the attention.

"So what brings you to the hospital?" Sakura said suddenly curious.

"It's official shinobi business. Tsunade has already been informed that we would be pulling you from your shifts for the remainder of the day," Pakkun said licking his front paw.

"Oh, maybe I shouldn't be hearing this conversation," Moeka shyly responded as she started to inch away.

"You'll be coming with us to see the Hokage," Pakkun said nibbling on an itchy spot on his leg.

"Eh?" Sakura and Moeka squeaked simultaneously.

"We should get going. Can't keep the Hokage waiting too long," Pakkun yapped before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

The two women just looked at each other in confusion.

* * *

When the two women arrived at the hokage's office, Moeka couldn't help but feel out of place. She watched as uniformed shinobi and office personnel walked around hastily with either stacks of papers or shiny weapons. Sakura put a comforting hand on her shoulder before knocking on the door.

The women stepped in after hearing a clear 'yeah' from the other side of the door. Upon entering the office, Naruto stood to give Sakura and Moeka a hug. Moeka blushed at Naruto's friendly gesture and felt awestruck.

"Would you ladies like any tea or coffee?" Naruto offered. The ladies kindly declined. "Alright then, take a seat and get comfortable." Sakura gestured for Moeka to sit in one of the wooden chairs placed in front of the large oak desk before sitting down herself.

"This is about the two attacks that happened recently in lightening and water country. I take it you have been working on the samples we pulled from the bodies?" Naruto asked.

"I haven't been able to crack much. The samples as you know are some sort of chemical agent. Oddly, it gives off a chakra signature. I'm actually planning on stopping by the lab later today to run a few more tests. I have a theory but I'm not sure what results I'll get," Sakura said already sounding exhausted.

"I'm sorry to add to your stress, but I need to send you out on a mission tomorrow morning," Naruto said apologetically as he rubbed the back of his head. "A few of my anbu operatives returned late last night and reported a few bits and pieces of information about a possible syndicate. They may be responsible for the medic deaths and this chemical agent. It's barely a lead, but I have a feeling that they just can't make much of it without the medical background that you have," Naruto sighed.

"What have they found out so far?" Sakura inquired as she grew intrigued.

"Anbu found an abandoned hideout of sorts just a few miles outside the border of lightening country and frost. Several medics in the bordering villages in northern Frost have gone missing," Naruto spoke with a dark expression on his face.

"Have the bodies been recovered?"

"No flesh bodies, just bones. They burned to death. The bones were severely charred. I'm not sure if the village in Frost was able to identify it."

"Do we have permission to examine the bones and figure out what happened? Any ways to extract clues?" Sakura asked.

"Unfortunately, we don't have permission to move the bones out of the village. For the purpose of respecting the families that have had their loved ones go missing, they don't want us moving them outside of the village. With the limited medics, they have requested aid."

"So…you want me to be the medical help and conveniently be the protection they might need?" Sakura guessed.

"Precisely."

"Hm. Since the bones can't be moved out of the village, can I examine the remains while I'm there?"

"That was exactly what I was hoping you'd do. The village has given us a short window of time to examine the bones before they prepare them for a burial. To be sensitive to their customs, I have agreed to respect their wishes. That gives us exactly a day to look at them before they are buried." Naruto said placing a folder in front of Sakura.

Sakura picked up the folder and looked over the written mission details. A moment later, Moeka cleared her throat. Sakura had almost forgotten that she was there.

"Um, I'm not sure how I fit into all of this," Moeka inquired looking slightly alarmed.

"Well, like I said before the medics in the village have started to go missing. I know that you've never been involved in shinobi business, but I was hoping you would be willing to go. Sakura leaving Leaf is already a huge blow, but I know she would appreciate having help that she's familiar with. She's already told me about how skilled you are. I guess it doesn't hurt that you two work well together," Naruto stated seriously. His face seemed to be shadowed with stress.

"I'm more than willing to help Sakura-san and of course help both villages. I'm just more afraid that I'd get in the way. I can't say I'd be much help," Moeka said chewing her lip.

"You'll absolutely be a big help. Don't worry. It sounds like shinobi business will be a minimum. Our main objective is really to re-establish order to the hospital," Sakura said flipping through the folder.

"Obviously, you won't be going just the two of you. You both will need staff to get the hospitals running at normal speed. I'm also sending Genma with you. I've just sent Kakashi out of the village on a mission, but he will join you in Shimogakure for the last two days of the mission," Naruto said handing a form to Moeka.

"What's this?" Moeka asked.

"It's a standard release form. It's an official document that shows you agreed to the terms of the mission. Anything that happens during and after the mission is to be kept undisclosed to others. It also states that you are aware there are dangers by agreeing to go on this mission, but rest assured, you will have protection from the best," Naruto stated firmly placing a pen down next to the document.

Moeka looked down at the document and read it thoroughly. Without hesitation, she picked up the pen and signed. "I'd be damned if someone needed my help and I said no!" Moeka smiled.

Sakura laughed loudly. "That's right. I'd never befriend someone without a backbone," she giggled.

"Excellent! I'm sending the team out early tomorrow morning. Please be ready at the gates by 4:30 sharp," Naruto nodded at them.

* * *

Sakura and Moeka walked slowly through the streets back to the hospital. Both had agreed that although their schedules had been cleared, they still had a few tasks to finish. Making their way through the bustling village center, the two women enjoyed the lively walk.

"I'm a bit nervous you know," Moeka said rubbing her hands together.

"I know it sounds dangerous, but I'll be there and so will Genma. He's really quite capable once you get past his lecherous comments," Sakura said honestly.

"I don't doubt that you two would protect me, but I've never really left the village. I've also never been trusted with such a big task before," Moeka said looking to the side at Sakura.

Sakura nudged her friend. "Every day, you are entrusted to care for patients. Many would die without your care. Is there really a task bigger than that? If you can save lives here, you can save lives there too. Besides, this will be a great opportunity for us to see a different hospital system," Sakura said slightly excited.

"I guess you're right. I am kind of excited to get out of the village after twenty-two years," Moeka laughed.

"Twenty-two? Weren't you born here?" Sakura asked suddenly confused.

"My grandfather was born here. I was actually adopted. I don't know the details of where I came from, but my orphanage was apparently not one in fire country," Moeka replied.

"So you came here when you were 4 years old?"

"Mhmm. I don't remember anything before my first day here. I wish I could remember the village where I was born. I've asked my grandfather before, but he always says that there is no point looking for my past. He would yell at me to look forward towards my bright future," Moeka laughed thinking about her grandfather.

"Well, this is the perfect opportunity. Just pack like you are going on a vacation. The mission is nine days long, so I would say a few sets of clothes should be enough," Sakura said.

"I may be carrying as much medical supplies as I can. You never know how well stocked they are over there," Moeka considered. Sakura laughed really loudly at her friend's statement.

"Oh we are two peas in a pod. I usually have a small bag of personal items and about 10 bags of medical supplies," Sakura said wiping a tear away. "People truly think I'm OCD."

"I guess that means I'm joining the club."

* * *

When Sakura arrived at the hospital, she bee-lined for Tsunade's office. Unsurprisingly, her old mentor's desk was empty. Taking a sharp left, she headed for the next best bet. Toxicology lab. Thankfully, she was already headed in that direction. Her intent was to reach the department and dive straight into looking at the samples she had placed in the analyzer.

Greeting a few researchers that were leaving the department, Sakura waved and passed through the sliding doors. She could hear a lulled shout from the research lab. Knowing her shishou was a relatively good mood, she confidently walked in.

"These lab results are inconclusive. So what do you do with them?" Tsunade asked while pinching the bridge of her nose with her eyes shut. A young lab assistant with sandy colored hair and hazel eyes shook in fear as she digested the question.

"Report them to Sakura-san before filing them in the lab records?" The young assistant almost quivered. Tsunade looked her dead in the face with a stoic expression.

"That's' it?" Tsunade inquired.

"Yes?"

"WRONG! You report the results, get clearance from your supervisor AND Sakura to do another round of testing. Make a better hypothesis and find out if you're wrong again. Research never just ends and gets filed away. Every hypothesis whether wrong or right should always be challenged, changed and tested. Am I clear?" Tsunade thundered.

"Yes!" The young woman scrambled to gather the files before running off to find her supervisor.

Tsunade 'tsk-ed' before rubbing the back of her neck. "I really don't know what they are teaching medical students in schools these days. They are so damn eager to just finish. Where is the drive? The need for constant improvement?!"

"Shishou, cut her a break. Sometimes, results come up inconclusive and should be left at just that," Sakura said crossing her arms.

"Says the girl that didn't leave the lab for 3 consecutive nights because we finally pinpointed an herb that can help regenerate chakra quicker?" Tsunade teased.

"That ended when I became head of the department," Sakura laughed. Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"So, I take it you know your assignment?"

"Yup. I head out tomorrow morning. It feels strange to go back out on the field. I feel like I haven't done a mission in ages," Sakura said with a sense of nostalgia.

"You _haven't_ gone on a mission in ages. It's time to stretch your legs and explore. Are you going to check on those samples?" Tsunade asked pulling open a drawer. Sakura eyed her suspiciously.

"Yes, I am. I'm hoping that those samples show some sort of clue as to what the toxin is and what it does." She blinked the expression off her face as she realized she was unattractively scrunching her face in confusion.

"Excellent. Well, don't mind me and carry on," Tsunade said dismissively as she waved Sakura away without looking up.

"Why are you rummaging through Kei's drawer?"

"Oh, is that the name of the kind researcher this desk belongs to?"

"...yes? I wouldn't say that Kei is particularly…kind…"  
"Ah, well. I heard this desk has a stash of sake I need to get my hands on and I think she's about to share."

* * *

Sakura punched her clearance code into the dial pad outside of the lab. The soft glow from the machines and muted beeping was comforting. She walked all the way to the back of the room where a large analyzer was nestled. Flicking a switch, she pulled a lever and opened the lid. She delicately extracted the two vials from the analyzer and placed them in a vial rack. Shutting the analyzer tightly, she turned to tie back her hair before slipping on a pair of fresh gloves and her goggles.

She pulled the vial rack towards a set of microscopes. Resting on a stool, she carefully took a drop of the liquid from one of the vials and placed it on a slide. She covered it with a coverslip and set the microscope.

Confusion clouded her mind as she looked into the eyepiece. Any trace of the chemical solution she had mixed into the sample a few days ago was gone. She hurriedly opened the other vial and took a drop. The second sample looked the same. Both were showing to be two undiluted original samples.

"What in the world…" Sakura was torn from her stupor when she heard a knock on the lab window. She looked up to see Moeka. Getting up from her seat as quickly as possible, Sakura pulled off her gloves and opened the door.

"Finished?" Sakura said going back to her stool.

"Yes. I finished storing the rest of the patient files back into the records department, made my rounds helping in neurosurgery. A patient came in from a construction accident and needed a laminectomy. The only problem was that he wasn't the only one that sustain injuries. Across the village, we had a few people injured in the collapse of a scaffold. Thankfully, everything is under control. What's that?"

"Well, I can't exactly tell you full details, but I can certainly tell you that it's puzzling. I've added a solution made of activated carbon into vial A and a solution with antivenom in B." Sakura tapped on the vials with her nail.

Moeka put on protective gear and snapped a pair of gloves into place before approaching the lab table. Sakura moved out of the way for Moeka to take a look at the microscope. "I don't see any particles of carbon…or antivenom for that matter."

"Exactly. The samples have returned to their original state," Sakura said tapping the lab table in frustration.

"That's impossible. Ok, well technically it is possible since it happened here, but it shouldn't be possible. You said the sample was a mixture of chemicals and chakra, right? Perhaps then we should try something a little more organic? The solutions you put in originally might have been too chemical based. Maybe something a little more purely organic?" Moeka guessed.

Sakura stood thinking about her idea for a few minutes. "If the sample has a chakra signature, perhaps it might react to more chakra?" Sakura used her own chakra to make a small cut on her finger. Squeezing her finger tightly, she let a few drops of her blood fall into the vial as she sent a current of chakra to her hand to give her blood an extra boost.

As soon as her blood hit the sample, the solution quickly started to change color. The once clear violet solution became a murky grey. The glass vial began to rattle and clink against the wooden vial holder.

"What is happening…" Moeka questioned with her eyes as wide as saucers. The vial began to shake more violently. Sakura pulled Moeka under the lab table and pulled her arms around the petite woman. An instant later, tiny shards of glass were sent flying everywhere.

When she was sure everything had settled, Sakura stepped out from under the table and took a look around. Shards of smoking glass were left in the wake of the incident. The only remnants that were proof of the experiment they had just witnessed burned away into vapor.

"The chakra turned the solution volatile. Even though it had a chakra signature, it's almost as if the sample were…alive. It's like it was repelling your chakra, but all it did was make the whole damn thing combust," Moeka said in a long nervous stream of words.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked eyeing the petite woman as she rambled.

"I'm fine. I'm pretty sure I'm in shock and once the adrenaline runs out I'll be on the floor, but other than that I'm fine," Moeka said searching the area for any traces of the original sample.

"I don't think you'll find anything. This sample is done," Sakura said.

"You mean, both samples are done. The little explosion shattered the other vial," Moeka pointed out almost apologetically.

"Shit."

"It may not be much consolation, but at least we leave in the morning. Perhaps we'll find some more clues in Frost," Moeka smiled as warmly as she could while she spoke.

"Yea, I'm sure Naruto has a few more samples, too. I just can't stand when I can't figure something out. It eats away at me until I get frustrated and cranky," Sakura said frowning. A tiny thought bubble with Sasuke's face seemed to float into her mind. She could feel her eye begin to twitch.

"Well, that's why you bake sweets isn't it?" Moeka laughed as she walked to the closet in the opposite corner of the lab. She yanked the creaky metal door open and pulled out a broom and dust pan. "Once we get this cleaned up and sterilized, we should go out for some cream puffs. I've been craving them ever since yesterday. I know a great little café down the street from me. We should go get some after we pack."

"Oh, done deal. I could use something sweet," Sakura sighed.


	8. A Familiar in the Night

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all your support, reviews and encouraging mail! Sorry about the delay in new posts. I'm still rusty and want to make sure this first step back into fandom isn't rushed. I'm thankful for your patience! Much love my dears!

* * *

Making their way through the streets, Moeka and Sakura reminisced about a patient they dealt with the previous year on a particularly nasty summer day. They both had the honor of sponge bathing the patient who was constantly pointing out how backwards the hospital seemed to be. Both women never complained and couldn't help but laugh while thinking about how the next round of nurses pulled their names from a bin to see who was next.

The day had passed quickly, and the crimson sun was already gone. A dreamy sapphire sky nestled itself into the horizon. Sakura raised her arms above her head and stretched, letting her neck pop in the process.

"I love fall evenings like this," Sakura smiled as she inhaled deeply.

"I couldn't agree more. There's nothing like the crisp air in Konoha in the fall. I hope the shop still has cream puffs. I know they don't close until late, but those things sell out fast!" Moeka said with concern.

"Well, if there aren't any more cream puffs, we could always at least sit down for tea," Sakura offered. Moeka nodded in agreement as they rounded a corner. To their right, a few people hung about the front steps of a rather popular bar. The few dark figures scattered around lazily puffed their cigarettes away. Among the group stood her blonde friend Ino, Shikamaru, and Genma.

"Oy! Pinky!" Genma shouted from his position against wall of the establishment. "Want to join me for a drink? I promise I won't bite!"

Sakura stepped towards the bar as she responded, "You already run out of women to harass? You know your crap doesn't work on me."

"Oh it's always worth a shot with you. Who's your pretty little friend over there?" Genma smiled as he moved the senbon from one side of his mouth to the other with his tongue. Moeka shrank a little as she followed Sakura to the entrance where the trio stood.

"Careful, act like an animal and Sakura will make sure to beat you into submission," Ino remarked pulling at a few strands of her hair. She growled as she found a split end from her silky ponytail.

"Oh, I look forward to it," Genma smirked.

Shikamaru mumbled about idiots as he threw his cigarette in an ashtray. "I'm out. I've got to report to the hokage early in the morning," Shikamaru remarked putting his lighter into his pocket.

"You ass! You said you'd buy me a drink!" Ino shouted.

"You asked, but I never responded. Your assumption was wrong," he replied.

Ino scoffed as he made his way to the street. Shikamaru waved as he left. For a moment all three ladies just watched as the famously lazy man stuffed his hands into his pocket and made his way home. Their attention shifted back to the bar when they heard Genma clearing his throat.

"So does this mean I'll be taking three ladies home tonight?" Genma snickered.

"Say something stupid again, and I'll smack your senbon right into your throat," Ino said rolling her eyes. "God, this is why I don't like going out with you when Sai's not around."

"Aw come on sweetheart. You know you don't mean that," Genma said as he watched the blonde stand up from the stool positioned by the door.

"I regret even walking this way," Sakura sighed. "Shall we go Moeka?"

"Yes! I'm still craving something sweet and creamy," Moeka said in a happy tone.

"Moeka, huh? Well what you're craving is right here!" Genma said pointing to himself.

Moeka's face twisted into one of distress. She seemed deeply disturbed as she folded her hands together. She looked to Sakura as she motioned for them to leave for the café. Genma noticed Moeka's pretty face darken almost immediately. He instantly felt an edge of panic.

"Aw, pumpkin, I didn't mean to offend ya," Genma smiled softly. "Really, I was just playing around." He looked to Sakura expecting her to pound his face in but was surprised to find that she was giving him a tired look.

"Come on, I think perhaps we should get cream puffs another day. Maybe it's best to go home and pack before we leave early tomorrow morning," Sakura offered as she pulled Moeka along.

Moeka furrowed her brows and nodded before dragging her feet to head home.

"Listen, I know he seems like such a pompous ass, which he can be at times, but he really is harmless. Genma is just Genma," Sakura said not quite knowing how else to put it.

Moeka's mouth fell open. "That's Genma? The Genma who is going to be escorting us on the mission?" The horror in her voice was clear.

"Yes?" Sakura said hesitantly, not quite knowing how else to respond. "I promise he's not that bad…all the time. I'll see you early in the morning at the gates ok?"

Moeka nodded and waved goodbye as her shoulders slumped. Sakura couldn't help but laugh as her shy friend walked home.

The two women didn't notice that Genma was watching them walking away. His stomach turned with a little guilt as he felt perhaps tonight he was pushing his teasing tactics a little too far.

"Senpai, here's your drink."

Genma turned around to see Daichi with a cold beer in his hands. "Ah, thanks." Genma took a long swig and turned back to watch the two women retreating into the distance.

"Who's that?" Daichi asked with halfhearted interest.

"Well, obviously you must know Sakura. The chocolate haired one is Moeka. I haven't seen her around here before," Genma replied.

"Moeka? Oh I've heard a few things about her," he answered suggestively and pausing ever so slightly to pique Genma's interest.

Genma grinned like a Cheshire cat as he wrapped an arm around Daichi's shoulders and tugged him back into the bar.

"So what is it that you've heard?"

* * *

Sakura decided to stop by a café closer to her apartment before going back to the old training grounds. She had just told Moeka to go home and pack, but being a veteran shinobi, she already had some medical bags packed and ready to go. She learned the hard way to have bags ready to go because as a shinobi, you never knew when you'd be sent out.

Reaching the front doors of the quaint café, she pushed the old vintage door open. A tiny brass bell swung back and forth producing a sweet sound. She stepped up to a dimly lit display case with a few muffins and cookies. Her eyes raked the case but found nothing interesting. Instead, her eyes roamed the blackboard hanging high against the wall scribbled with specialty drinks in different colored chalks.

After debating internally for quite some time, Sakura settled on a nice black tea with honey and lemon. She thanked the worker and held her cup in her hands. She savored the warmth as she made her way to the old training grounds. She was aware that it was imperative that she get enough rest before her mission tomorrow, but it seemed her mind would refuse to shut off when it came time for rest.

Perching herself on the old bridge, she sat cross legged on the railing. The loud symphony of crickets drowned out the sound of her own even breathing. She blew into her cup before taking a quick sip. The hot liquid swept down her throat. The notes of vanilla bean and honey made her purr into the dark.

Sakura placed her cup on the rail and leaned on her palms. The past few days had been a chaotic blur. The arrival of the last Uchiha, Moeka's erratic behavior and now her discovery in the lab all barely made sense.

She had a hunch about Moeka after hearing how her ex-boyfriend had been stalking her. From previous tidbits, it seemed that the scumbag wasn't a half-bad shinobi, but from reports, he's also difficult to work with. One anonymous team leader suggested that he undergo some psychiatric evaluation as he seemed to be a little off, perhaps even entertained when tasked with taking out an enemy. After hearing he had also previously laid a hand on Moeka, Sakura seemed to think the team leader was right to suggest such advice. Sakura sighed heavily and took another warm sip.

Moeka's dead love life was not much of her business, but she couldn't help but wish the girl would find a better man who would stick up for her. If it were up to Sakura, she would make Moeka go and beat the hell out of Daichi herself, but she knew that her shy friend could never do so.

Really, Sakura was in no way in any position to be going off telling others what to do with their love lives. She never had a real relationship with a man and is barely functional with Sasuke around. It seemed that when Sasuke was absent, she was willing to wait forever, but now that he was right in front of her, patience seemed to vanish.

Sakura lifted the paper cup to her lips to take another warm sip when she noticed the crickets in the surrounding grass seemed to go silent. She took a long sip and closed her eyes to savor the taste. With lightning fast fingers, she tugged out a senbon hidden in the hem of her pant leg. Flicking her wrist, she turned and jumped onto the railing to face the darkened woods behind her. She heard the faint thud of her senbon driving itself into the wood of a cedar tree a few yards away.

A moment passed and the trees rustled gently in the wind. Sakura relaxed her stance and stood with her weight on one leg. Crossing her arms across her chest, she raised a cherry eyebrow.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people. It could get you killed," Sakura said aloud to the dark.

"I think it would take a lot more than that to kill me," said a deep voice. Sakura rolled her eyes as she noted the subtle hint of smugness that could only come from an Uchiha.

"Evening stroll?" Sakura asked plopping back down on the rail without looking back at him.

Sasuke didn't answer but slowly came to the same rail and leaned forward on it with his one arm. His dark eyes were cast upon the glimmering surface of the river below. The gurgling sound accompanied by the dark oil like appearance of the night reflecting on the water was mesmerizing.

"You shouldn't be drinking coffee so late. You won't be able to sleep," Sasuke muttered.

"It's not coffee. It's tea. Besides, it's alright. I probably won't be sleeping. Too much to think about before setting off anyway," Sakura waved her hand at him dismissively.

Sasuke tensed for a moment. He blinked twice before brushing off his discomfort and asking, "Mission?"

"Mmm," Sakura hummed unconvincingly as she took another sip. She licked her lips and sucked on the hot cup top to get a drop of the tea that had escaped her lips. She had noticed that Sasuke picked up on her not so subtle clue about what was pestering her. At this point, she almost didn't care. Almost.

Unknown to her, Sasuke took a discrete glance at her profile as she quietly sucked on her cup. Her perfectly pink lips made his gaze linger just a fraction more than he wanted. Clearing his throat, he stood straight.

"Naruto has told me that the samples are still yielding little information," he stated this time openly looking at her. She pursed her lips and fiddled with her cup for a moment.

"That's partially true. I haven't been able to inform him of the developments from today…I suppose I should write up a follow-up report and leave it for him before the morning," Sakura said suddenly looking tired.

"Anything substantial?" Sasuke asked. He absently took out a chord of woven cotton. His large and rough fingers delicately moved to slide the thin strands into a braided pattern. He took his thumb and pulled the tendrils taught, flattening it until the thinner strands combined into a strong chord. He looked off into the distance as he continued to pull, loop and flatten the chord almost in meditation.

"It's significant in the fact that we know it's reactive to chakra, but confusing in the sense that it only makes less sense," Sakura said aloud almost wincing at the fact that her words sounded backwards.

"Hmm…" Sasuke's eyes furrowed as he dipped his gaze down to his chord. He smoothed the chord as it lay on the wooden railing. He observed his handiwork and picked it back up to continue braiding.

Sakura watched in interest as he worked diligently. At the beginning of their conversation, the chord was an entire inch shorter. She was impressed by his nimble fingers. She looked up at his face to see him zeroing in on only his craft.

"What are you making?" Sakura asked with genuine interest.

"It's a sageo for my katana," Sasuke replied plainly.

Sakura scrunched her nose. In all the years Sakura had known Sasuke, she had never once seen him repair his sword. Although she had seen him sharpen and oil his blade on many occasions, it seemed his katanas always remained somehow in pristine condition. "Did it need replacing?"

"I respect the blade and accept maintenance as my responsibility," Sasuke said as he pulled the braid through another loop. Her expression remained unimpressed by his declaration of responsibility. "It also keeps my hand as flexible and agile as possible."

Sakura looked at the slightly sagging left side of his cloak. She considered his perspective on respect for a minute. "If you respect something, you keep it exactly as it is forever?" Sakura asked her question without even really knowing what it was she wanted to know.

"If you respect something, you do your utmost to keep it at its best," Sasuke clarified.

Without thinking about what answer she might hear, Sakura decided to push further. "What if you love something?" Sakura did her best to keep herself from shaking as she turned fully to face him. He stopped tugging on his chord while his eyes remained locked on his hand. He quietly folded the long chord and placed it back in his pocket. He turned to look at her with his hand tucked away in his pocket.

"If you love something," he began slowly. His dark eyes lifted to meet hers. "You do the same."

"So then there's no difference between love and respect?" Sakura asked incredulously. Clearly, this Uchiha had no idea what love was.

"If you fail to protect something you respect, you might be wounded but eventually…you'd move on. When you love something and fail to protect it, it would destroy you," Sasuke stated. His eyes shifted away from her face again as he looked into the night. Sakura saw the same tired expression on his face the night she tried to talk to him when he returned. Flashbacks of Sasuke's family and his brother popped into her mind.

"The pain of never knowing runs just as deep as the pain of loss," Sakura shot back.

"Sakura, I don't think you'll ever know the pain of losing people you love…like a set of dominoes, one after another. I hope you never do," Sasuke said with a stern expression. He knew she was only pushing him because she felt urgency in wanting their relationship to progress, but he would make it just as clear that there are some places she shouldn't venture.

Sighing heavily, Sakura decided not to push the envelope any further. She realized that her insistence in needing answers or even closure was clearly wearing out the lone Uchiha. Although her need to know more about how he felt was clear, his health and happiness as a friend and teammate was priority. She smiled lightly.

"One more layer of the onion peeled away…" Sakura breathed. Sasuke didn't respond. "Anyway, I'd better get ready for tomorrow. Take care Sasuke," Sakura said as she gave a short nod.

"Sakura, make sure you take care of yourself."

Sakura nodded and smiled as she turned away. That line alone was enough to warm her heart. It was a long way from being told to be careful, not to be brash, or to not get in the way. Now, he simply saw a woman who took care of her patients and team more than herself. The simple acknowledgement that she didn't need protection by anyone spoke volumes. Perhaps she would be able to get better sleep tonight.

* * *

Moeka scurried across the street to finally reach the gate. The sky was still dark but the chirps of birds overhead were the only indication that morning had come. When she stepped forward, she felt a sense of excitement. Every time she had neared the Konoha gates before, the masked shinobi that guarded them seemed so mysterious. Now, she was going to delve into their world for just a moment.

One guard silently pointed along the wall towards the left that showed a group of medics standing around with their luggage and gear. Instantly, she felt underprepared. Her single pack of clothes and duffle full of medical equipment seemed small.

"Moeka-san!" shouted a woman with soft purple hair. She waved from among the group.

"Good morning Yuri," Moeka smiled.

"I'm glad to see a familiar face. It's just going to be us and three doctors. They don't seem all too happy to be going though," Yuri mumbled glaring hard at the three gentleman standing about. "Is this all you're bringing?"

Moeka laughed nervously and tried to hide her small pack behind her back. She had thought very seriously about what to pack the night before. She tried to think about what Sakura would have advised, so she only packed four simple outfits, a thick jacket and an extra pair of boots. In her duffle, she carried as many medicines, ointments, needles, IV packs and surgical tools as she could fit. She was sure that along the way her bag would burst.

"Seems like Moeka packed the right way," Sakura cut in.

"Sakura-san!" Moeka yelled in delight.

"Moeka, you can just call me Sakura," she advised again.

"But you're my senior…and we're still technically on the job…" Moeka mumbled.

"Alright, alright," Sakura laughed. "Is everyone here?"

"I think we're waiting on one more person, Jemmy? Jumma?" Yuri said pronounced in confusion.

"Genma, and I'm here," Genma said crossing his arms across his chest. Some of the doctors behind him grumbled about being on time. "I'm on time. What's the rush?"

Moeka frowned at the long haired shinobi's arrival. Sensing a bit of tension, Sakura nudged Moeka.

"Now that everyone's here, let's take count of our bags and cargo. We will have horses to aid us but we only have three. We'll take turns riding," Sakura announced. Everyone picked up their respective baggage and began strapping them onto the horses. While everyone was busy, Sakura stepped towards Genma.

"The journey there should be relatively quiet, but I don't have to remind you that we put their lives before ours, right?" Sakura questioned.

"Of course. I don't need to be reminded of that," Genma said incredulously. In truth, it had almost insulted him. Almost.

"Listen, I don't know what you did the other day but you seem to have really irked Moeka. Keep your distance," Sakura said with a tone of finality as she jabbed her finger into his shoulder. Genma rolled his eyes at the overprotective kunoichi.

* * *

Several hours later, the sun hung high above in the sky. Its rays were strong and relentless. Sakura wiped a small bead of sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. Turning to check on the rest of her crew, she stopped for a moment for them to catch up. The three doctors seemed to be struggling to drag their feet along. She didn't feel sympathy for them in the slightest. The three gentlemen were among the worst at the hospital. They were talented surgeons and experts in their field, but they were terrible people. Ryo used to send the new interns to be on duty in the geriatric department cleaning only bedpans for weeks when they could have taken rotations gaining experience in other departments. Ibiki never encouraged his subordinates. His worst characteristic was his constant criticism. He often sent nurses and interns home for their "incompetency". Only the toughest skinned nurses and doctors were able to work with him. The last was the worst. Seiji was a senior surgeon. In Sakura's personal opinion, he was the worst because the other two looked up to this one. He was known for being critical in the same way as Ibiki except his criticisms were always directed towards only the females in the hospital.

Sakura caught herself clenching her fist thinking about the pigheaded attitude of all three of the doctors. However, her heart seemed to lighten up when she saw Yuri and Moeka walking with their arms linked. Yuri was making a very good impression of Ryo when he was scowling. Moeka giggled and nudged the younger nurse. Behind them, Genma walked as he pulled along the three horses that carried their medical supplies. Even in the distance, Sakura could see Genma sending a sly wink her way. She swallowed and could have sworn she tasted a little vomit.

"Ladies, I know it's pretty boiling out here but before the end of the day, you'll start to feel the bite," Sakura said putting her hands on her hips.

"That soon?" Yuri questioned.

"I would never survive out here," Moeka said looking around at the surrounding forest. In truth, people like her only survived because of the loyal shinobi that protected them.

"We'll be edging the border of hot water soon. After a rest tonight, we set off early in the morning. The walk should carry us through to the border of Frost by sunset. The temperatures will drop drastically once we near the borders," Sakura said mechanically. Her demeanor as a shinobi kicked in as she realized that there would be no time for her colleagues to adjust to the nature of traveling long distances through countries.

"Sakura, we should take rest here for a little while. The horses need water, and the others look like they could use a break," Genma said nodding towards the grumbling male doctors. As soon as they heard the word "break", the doctors all settled on a nearby rock. The two nurses found a shaded area under a large oak and plopped down into the grass.

While Genma secured the horses to a nearby tree and opened a small container of apples for them, Sakura swiftly leaped into the trees to do a surveillance of the area. Everything checked out and the wooded area was perfectly safe for their short respite.

After landing on the ground, Sakura joined the ladies under the shade. Moeka pulled out a bundle of cloth from her pack and pulled away a corner to reveal the top of a bottle. She shook the bottle and twisted the top open and offered Sakura the first drink. Sakura smiled gratefully and took a big gulp and sighed in pleasure.

"You froze the water? Ugh that is so refreshing!" Sakura said happily.

"I love cold water. On long walks or days when I exercise, I'll freeze a bottle to keep the water cold longer," Moeka giggled. She offered the bottle to Yuri before taking along sip herself. Yuri noticed Genma chewing on his senbon as he looked into the forest at different angles.

"Do you think we'll run into any trouble?" Yuri asked slightly worried.

"You ladies are responsible for helping the hospitals get back to normal operations. Any possibility of danger will be handled by Genma and myself. I promise nothing will happen to you girls. I wouldn't let it. Besides, Kakashi will be joining us in a few days. There's nothing to worry about," Sakura said with a reassuring smile. Yuri felt totally confident and went to rummage through her bag for some sun cream.

Moeka glanced at Yuri to make sure she wasn't paying any attention before turning to Sakura. "You're lying," Moeka whispered with a frown on her face.

Sakura swallowed but kept her poker face. "I meant it. I would protect you two with my life."

"Not about that. There's a big chance this mission will be full of the unexpected and danger. There's no other reason the hokage would send you AND Hatake-san," Moeka answered biting on her lower lip.

"It's just a precaution," Sakura said re-adjusting her gloves and brushing the dust off her vest. "Besides, why are you so damn observant? I swear, I still think you should join the academy."

"I might not have trained to become a shinobi, but I am my grandfather's adopted granddaughter. He may not have come from a bloodline, but he was certainly famous for his stealth and observant eyes," Moeka said proudly.

Sakura realized she had never known anything about Moeka's grandfather. "What was his name?"

"Ito. Taiga Ito."

"Taiga….Ito?" Sakura questioned letting the name roll off her tongue. It seemed like such a familiar name, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Before Sakura could grasp the memory, Genma walked over and slug his arm on Sakura's shoulder. "Sorry ladies, but we've got to get moving if we want to be on time," Genma said tapping his watchless wrist. Moeka ignored him and walked away to pick up her bags.

"Sheesh. You'd think I wronged her." Genma rolled his eyes and went to get the horses untied to continue their journey. Sakura sincerely wanted to punch him, but she figured she needed to reserve her energy for something important.

The group continued forward for another straight fourteen hours on foot before finally seeing signs of the village where the medics had gone missing. Katayuki was relatively large in size but had a population that was much smaller. The village served as one of the main trading posts between Lightening and Frost. The next main village with sizeable resources and hospital lay several miles away close to Shimogakure.

Upon entering the village of Katayuki, the people walking along the chilly streets gave half weary stares in their direction. Others looked to them with expressions of fear and quickly made their ways into nearby shops or back into their homes. Sakura ignored their blatant dislike for their arrival and instead, kept her eyes open for the hospital. To the far right hidden behind a row of apartments and stores, Sakura spotted the building with blue roofing and red hospital emblem.

The group pushed through the hospital doors after tying up the horses at a nearby stable. The hospital was really more of a large clinic than a hospital. The building consisted of two floors with a basic general surgery department and emergency room. An elderly nurse looked up from her folder to see the travel weary group. Pulling the glasses off her face and rubbing her eye, she stood up to make her way around the counter and approached them.

"You must be from Konoha," she said cutting right to the chase.

"Yes. We are here to help. If you could point us a medic lounge, we'll stow our belongings there temporarily to begin immediately," Sakura said patting her heavy packs.

"Of course. I'll have someone bring you something warm to drink while you put things away. Follow me," the woman waved her hand towards a hall to the right.

The group followed and just a few doors down, they were welcomed into a cozy space for medics to rest and eat. The woman showed them the basics around the room and invited them to use anything they needed freely.

"Our hospital normally doesn't see many quiet days. We have strangers stopping through these parts needing medical help, causing trouble for our residents, the hospital or both. Unfortunately for us, our prime location makes us a pit-stop for the unwelcome. Should anything happen, we have emergency alarm bells in each room and in every hallway towards the exits. We don't tolerate riffraff," the woman nodded sternly before continuing. "Here are the schedules. They indicate which departments need the most help. I thought it would be most helpful if your team split up into pairs". The tired woman handed them a schedule sheet with several stars scribbled into a few departments. The number of stars was almost alarming. Sakura looked blankly at the sheet while Genma's mouth lay slightly ajar. The woman cleared her throat and left the room.

Seiji sat up abruptly from a stool and plucked the schedule sheet from Sakura's hand before she could finish assessing it. He sighed as he sat back down.

"Oy, she was looking at that," Genma snapped with a frown.

"Well she isn't now is she?" Seiji remarked as he looked over the sheet. The other two males came to his side to read the sheet. Yuri's eye twitched as she watched the men blatantly ignore the rest of the team. Sakura felt fury bubbling behind her coming from both Yuri and Genma. She crossed her arms and kept her eyes focused on Seiji hoping her eyes would cut a hole straight through his skull. As she was wondering what it would feel like to smash his face into the coffee table situated in the middle of the employee lounge, Moeka unexpectedly walked past her and ripped the paper from Seiji's grasp.

Everyone's eyes fell on the young woman as she breathed unevenly. Her fist crumpled the schedule sheet into her small fist. "This isn't your home hospital Seiji," Moeka seethed. "This also isn't YOUR team," she said as she jabbed a finger into his shoulder. "There's way too much to be done and too many lives depending on us for you to be acting like a pompous asshole from the very minute we walk in. FALL IN LINE."

Seiji could only blink hard as he realized what was happening. He cleared his throat as Ibiki and Ryo rolled their eyes. "Moeka, you forget your own place. You're just a nurse completing your first year at the hospital. You're one of the oldest graduates from nursing school. Everyone in your class went straight into nursing school while you crawled out of your sad life hoping to become something. Speaking to me, your superior, in that manner really isn't going to get you anywhere in life. Especially now. Just wait until we get back from this mission. I'm going to personally make it my mission to make your life a living hell at the hospital," Seiji smirked as he looked her up and down.

"And I'll personally make it my mission to break every bone in your body and then heal it just so I can break it again," Sakura spat. "Moeka's right. We have too much to get done. Everyone mind your manners and get shit done. Do I need to repeat myself?"

Ryo shook his head and was met with a swift smack from Ibiki. "Let's partner up. Ryo, you can pair up with Yuri. I'll work with Seiji and Moeka can work alongside Ibiki," Sakura suggested.

"No. I'm fine working with Seiji," Moeka said with courage. Yuri scoffed and nudged the girl.

"Are you kidding? He just threatened to put you through hell!" Yuri whispered through her teeth into Moeka's ear.

"Doesn't matter. I won't cower under the likes of him. He can knock me down about finding my passion later than most people, but I'll never let him forget he only got into the hospital because of his parent's generous donation for three years before he completed medical school," Moeka quietly stated as she glared daggers at the rude surgeon.

"Guys, let's just get the day over with, shall we?" Genma interjected.

After several hours of grueling surgeries, emergency resuscitations, multiple blood transfusions and one incident of a small pen stuck up a boy's nose later, the team was officially given the chance for a break and meal.

Sakura was the last to enter the lounge to find Yuri with her shoes off massaging the balls of her feet while Moeka was taking out boxed lunches from a plastic bag. Seiji, Ibiki and Ryo were sitting at a long table eating sandwiches. Genma was the only one missing.

"What time is it?" Yuri asked as Sakura sat down on the couch with the ladies.

Moeka pulled a small pocket watch from her uniform. "It's almost 9pm".

"WHAT?! Ugh…I could have sworn it was almost 12. We still have three more hours after this? This day just won't end soon enough," Yuri cried out.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Moeka grumbled as she glanced at Seiji's back. "I found a convenience store around the corner of the hospital and bought a few bento boxes on sale."

Sakura thanked Moeka and dug in. She mostly ate in silence as she thought about looking for the village elder that had those charred remains. Just as she was thinking about the remains, Genma walked through the lounge door. Moeka seemed to chew in disgust at his arrival.

"I scouted the borders of the village and haven't seen anything unusual. Our communications contact should be passing through in 48 hours. I also spoke with the village elders. They want to wrap and soak the remains in a special fluid. It's apparently tradition before a person is buried," Genma reported.

"The remains have to be left untouched. There is no way to tell for sure what happened if they add any sort of chemicals or substances to those bones," Sakura sighed in frustration.

"I relayed that tiny important part to the village elders. They agreed only to wrap the remains in their traditional cotton bindings. They said the bones cannot leave the burial house on the outskirts of the eastern portion of the village. If you want to see them, your window of opportunity starts as soon as your shift is over." Genma replied grimly.

"Well, I guess my real job starts after this," Sakura breathed as she stuffed a piece of katsu into her mouth.


	9. Bones

Sakura expertly popped the bones in her neck before stretching her arms back. She groaned in pleasure as she felt her aching muscles ease up from the movement. She didn't budge as she heard the lounge door swing open with a slam.

"Oh Kami, I'm exhausted." Yuri dragged her feet to the couch and fell face down stiffly. Moeka followed behind her. "Sakura-san, how do you do this all the time? I'd kill myself if I had to travel this much AND work all in the same day."

"I guess you just get used to it," Sakura responded as she went to grab a packet of instant coffee mix before pouring the contents into a styrofoam cup. She filled it halfway with hot water from the dispenser and gave it a stir with the empty packet before taking a swift sip. Inwardly she cringed at the overly sweet and processed concoction, but she would never complain about what was offered and available in another hospital. That would just be tacky.

"Sakura-san, will you be examining the bones? If you don't mind, I'd like to go with you to see them," Moeka inquired.

"I suppose you could although it may be a tad boring. I'm not sure how they'll react with an extra person for the examination, but it wouldn't hurt to try I suppose," Sakura pondered. Genma opened the door to the lounge with the three male surgeons in tow. They proceeded to ignore the women without so much as a greeting.

"I'll pass. I'd rather head back to the hotel with Joomi and the others if you don't mind. I need a good hot soak in the shower and some well-deserved rest. We need it if we're going to start early in the morning again."

"It's Genma. My name is Genma. GEN-MA!"

Yuri rolled her eyes as she picked at a small hang nail from her dry nail beds. "So picky…you got I was referring to you, so who cares?"

"Uh…I care? It's my name you keep messing up sweetheart," Genma mumbled.

"People often forget about things they aren't interested in," Sakura chimed in as she finished the last of her coffee. "You heard the woman. You can lead the rest to the small inn while Moeka and I go to the burial house."

"It's not a hotel? It's just an inn?" Yuri asked slightly disappointed.

"To put it politely, this village doesn't have much. I'm surprised you were expecting an actual hotel. The minute we stepped foot here, my dreams of an actual bathtub fizzled away," Moeka laughed. Her laugh was one bordering the line of exhaustion and hysteria from the long day.

Sakura looked over the sad bunch of medical staff and smiled. Their inexperience in the world of shinobi should serve to be a very enlightening experience indeed.

* * *

Sakura and Moeka walked in tired silence to the outskirts of the village towards the burial house. As they approached the dimly lit building, a few uniformed guards straightened up. The women kept their pace and walked to the two guards.

"I'm here to see the two bodies." Sakura had no intention of being rude, but her serious work nature kicked in as it was late, and she had no plans to stay at this all night.

"The village elders are waiting for you inside. Are you a team? We were informed that there would only be one medical examiner," the guard questioned as he looked at Moeka with little interest.

"She's part of my medical team. I'll speak with the elders about her involvement." The guard nodded and stepped out of the way for the two women to walk in.

The building was plain inside. The walls were painted a dull beige color and had gray tiled floors with the occasional water drain for cleaning and preparing bodies. No matter how many times Sakura had encountered a dead body, it always left her completely unnerved. The look of a lifeless human body is one that a person should never get used to seeing. She turned her attention to Moeka to make sure that the nurse was alright.

Moeka felt the eyes of her friend and upper. She turned and smiled lightly to Sakura to verify she was fine. Although Moeka was a sweet and relatively quiet woman, she had a level of professionalism that rivaled many of her supervisors and senpai. The ladies noticed another door towards the back of the main room with a guard posted at the entrance. He cocked his head to the direction of the door signaling them to enter.

They entered the brightly lit room to three village elders standing behind two blanketed forms on metal mortuary tables. The elders were dressed in antiquated traditional garbs of blue and yellow. The elderly woman standing in the center stepped forward to the two young women.

"We were told there would only be one examiner for this visit," the elder spoke as she assessed the two women wearily.

"I'm the head examiner of this mission, but my colleague is an invaluable team member who can aid in my examination of the bodies. If you would allow for two people, it may be more effective in identifying the causes of death," Sakura said respectfully.

The elderly woman looked to the other elders who gave a nod. "We are willing to do what it takes to find out who did this and why. It is a shame that people have gone missing and their families cannot identify the bodies or confirm the death of their loved ones."

"We are deeply saddened by the occurrence as well. We know all too well how deep it cuts to lose loved ones in unprovoked acts of aggression. Our village and the Hokage want nothing more than to find the causes and bring justice to those that have created such suffering," Sakura reassured.

"We would be grateful for your help and cooperation. Unfortunately, you have only this night to examine the bodies before they are buried. The families cannot bear any more pain and demand a proper burial."

"Of course, we will work with the limited time to the best of our abilities," Sakura bowed.

"Thank you and your people for your help. We feel more at ease than yesterday. However, I strongly urge you to be vigilant as we have no idea who is responsible for these senseless deaths. The danger is still out there and kami only knows if it is lurking nearby," the village elder warned. "These are the photographs of the bodies the day they were found," the elder said pulling several photographs from her garb's sleeve.

"We will be careful," Sakura answered as she took the photos. She meant every word. Sakura and Moeka bowed as the village elders exited the private coroner's room. As soon as the door shut, the air in the room became heavy. The need for answers and the overwhelming sense of uncertainty became more tangible in that moment.

"Shall we begin?" Sakura asked as she drew the white blanket back. Moeka did the same to the second set of remains. The two women were initially shocked at the two complete set of charred bones. Then, sadness settled in as one of the sets of bone were far smaller in size compared to the other. One set was a set of bones from a fully grown adult while the other belonged to a teenager, middle school age at most.

"They are almost completely burned away. They had to been ablaze for hours before anyone found them," Moeka said as she looked closely at the bones.

"From the report given by the Hokage, the bodies were found not very far outside of the village. With so much foot traffic as this is the last village for miles before Shimogakure, the fires would have been sighted far before the bodies could burn to this degree," Sakura thought out loud.

"Hm…so the culprit used accelerant to burn the bodies faster?" Moeka speculated.

Sakura pulled on a pair of latex gloves from her pocket and picked up the femur of one of the bodies. Carefully, she lifted the bone to find it was cracked in two. Pulling one of the pieces to her eyes, she noticed the uneven and slightly jagged edge of where the bone had cracked. "Moeka, do you see fractures in the bones?"

"Lots of cracks but mostly full breaks. I'm going to check the temporal bone and hip bones on this set," Moeka answered. The hip bone and temporal bone had similar jagged splits in the bone. "The splits aren't clean. They are jagged and uneven. The cracks look as though they began as a network of fractures in one point and spread. It's completely uncharacteristic of bones breaking from bodies being set on fire…it's," Moeka paused to turn the bones over in the hands before continuing. "It's almost like they…"

"They burned from the inside," Sakura finished. She gently set the bones back in the correct place before looking at Moeka. "If the bodies had been set on fire, the bones would become brittle and snap clean into pieces. These bones have sections of deformities and small ruptures through from the core."

"Ruptures from the center? Does that mean the blood and marrow within the bone literally boiled?" Moeka asked incredulously.

"That's exactly what I mean. The pressure built up from the collagen and blood boiling within the bone became so great that the bones cracked in irregular patterns."

Moeka used her exposed forearm to wipe away a loose strand of hair from her face. "If they burned from the inside out, that kind of leaves us with more questions…doesn't it?"

"Yes and no. In the medical world, we know that cases of burning alive are limited to fevers running so high that there is a danger in killing the cells within the body, but never actual combustion of a human body. What this tells me is that normal causes of death are completely out the door." Sakura's mind made its way back to the samples of the toxin the hokage had left in her care.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Moeka asked Sakura as they both seemed to connect the dots.

"Sounds like someone is experimenting."

* * *

Sasuke shuffled uncomfortably as he entered the tower. Naruto had informed him that official paperwork for his pardon and reinstatement into active duty had come in. Many speculated about what rank he would fall back into. In his own mind, he was willing to accept any punishment that the council and the Hokage would deem fitting to his erroneous ways.

"Sa…Sasuke…kun…"

Sasuke turned his attention towards Hinata who was just about to enter the Hokage's main office door. He bowed in greeting. "Hin..ata." He felt odd greeting her so casually, but he knew that's what would make her most comfortable.

Hinata's face lit up with a smile at his small effort to be friendly. "It's good to have you back in the village. Your family has missed you very much."

Sasuke's face became flush from her kind words. In truth, they were family. There was way too much history, trust and comradery for them all to only be friends. In that moment, Sasuke was grateful and relieved that Naruto had been in the care of a loving and deep woman like Hinata. He knew that Naruto had gone through nights of worry, doubt and longing for his friend to return safely. Sasuke was no stranger to that same feeling of emptiness and yearning for friendship, support and love. In Naruto's case, Hinata provided his mind and heart a blanket of safety and peace. Asking a loyal and loving woman like Hinata to be by his side forever was one of the smartest things Naruto ever did.

The thought of loyalty and love brought his mind to Sakura's smiling face. The image of her enjoying a cup of morning brew that bright day was still etched into his mind. His mind was interrupted by Hinata twisting the knob of the door after a short two knocks.

"Shall we?" She asked.

Pushing the door open, she let herself and Sasuke into the office before quietly shutting the door. Naruto had been in the midst of signing congratulatory letters for some of the younger children at the academy who passed their exams. His face was beaming with pride as he sincerely thought of the next generation and how each person held a special value and place in their village.

Hinata went around his desk and peered over his should as she smiled. "He always has the same look on his face when he is signing letters for the academy" Hinata said fondly.

"These kids are the future. Each one is so special and has so much to offer. Their passion and commitment to their village at such a young age is admirable. They train and fight for others, their families and friends. It makes my heart burst," Naruto replied grinning even wider.

"I can't imagine how you would react if your own children decided to be part of the academy," Sasuke smirked. He imagined his bright blonde friend being the loudest to cheer for his children during testing and graduation.

"It would be his or her choice to pursue any life, but I would support them in anything they choose," Naruto confided. "No matter what they choose, I'd be proud." Hinata gently ran her hands over his shoulder as he spoke in a loving manner. Sasuke cleared his throat feeling like he had interrupted an intimate moment. It had been a long time since he saw such intimacy and support shared between a couple it made him feel like an awkward teenager again.

As if noticing the dark haired man's discomfort, Naruto smiled gently at his wife and kissed her hand as she gave him a hug and said her goodbyes to the two men. Naruto's eyes twinkled as he watched her leave. "Sasuke, I wanted to speak to you about the mission that is currently taking place in Katayuki. The council has agreed to reinstate your status but limit you to the number of missions granted per year and pay. That's flexible of course depending on what comes in and threat levels. Basically, they respect your family enough to let you off easy. The Uchiha have contributed more than we could imagine," Naruto explained.

Sasuke stood in disbelief. It seemed odd even for the council to let him off that easy even with the Uchiha name. "There's more isn't there?" Sasuke inquired.

Naruto gave a nervous laugh as he continued, "Yes, there is. This limitation on missions and pay will last for three years. The type of missions will be decided by the council…"

"It sounds like they plan on sending me to the hardest missions…the type that could be borderline suicide missions," Sasuke said sighing. He wasn't afraid of death so much as he was tired of the fight.

"Well, yes and no. They may want you to go, but ultimately, I still need to approve it. Don't worry buddy, Sakura would kill me if I let something happen to you. Speaking of which, I need to let you know about the mission in Katayuki. I sent a contact to stop by on their way up north."

"Was there a problem? Why did you send a contact?" Sasuke asked slightly concerned.

"There have been reports of people going missing in other neighboring villages, but no reports of burnt bodies. I wanted to send a contact to make sure things are fine. It's a long distance between Shimogakure and home with a huge bay in between. They're in Katayuki before they head to Shimogakure to refuel, scope and come back. I wouldn't want to leave them in the dust. It was hard sending some of our finest to such far places," Naruto said with deep concern settling into his face.

"If there have been missing persons but no deaths, it sounds like whoever was responsible for the bodies up in Shimogakure is rounding cattle."

"Exactly. We need to figure out for what and why they left bodies that far north but haven't left a trace anywhere else. Part of my gut tells me that they targeted a far away place to take their victims to avoid being caught. But with that much effort, why leave so much evidence? I feel like we're being led on."

"That's not just a hunch, Naruto. I think they want us on a wild goose chase."

* * *

Somewhere miles northeast of Shimogakure, a man lazed about on a low tree branch in the dim light of the fading sun. His ice blue eyes were so light, they almost seemed white as he looked off into the distance with his fingers nimbly twirling a shuriken in his lap. Below him, five bodies with charred remains lay lifeless and smoldering. A few feet away, a sixth body trembled as it convulsed. The skin bubbled and peeled as the heat from within welled to the surface. The man in the tree peered down at the trembling body when a pained groan erupted from the figure.

He didn't turn his gaze from the body when a lithe figure clothed in wine red garbs landed besides him. One of her long slender fingers dragged its way across his back as she positioned herself behind him before sitting down against the trunk of the tree.

"Enjoying the show?" she smiled.

"Quite the opposite since he's about to die. I feel his chakra flickering," the man responded as he watched the figure give a final twitch before the body went rigid and burst into stronger flames. "Do you have any good news for me?"

"The shinobi have arrived in small group to protect a few doctors and nurses," the woman replied smiling deeper as she saw the body engulfed in flames. It was almost her favorite part when the bones became brittle and you could hear them snapping. The crackling sped up and became noisier as the flames devoured the limp form. "Just like popcorn," she smiled.

"Focus, Aya. Were they all medical nin?" the man asked.

"No. Five of them are regular civilians. The other two are shinobi. One has a mop of ghastly hair and the other is like…a puff of cotton candy," the woman sneered.

"Tsunade's old apprentice is here?" The man asked slightly annoyed.

"Yes, she is. That means others will not be so far. What's the matter, Kai? Are you afraid?" the woman snickered as poked him in the ear with her finger.

He swatted her hand away with little interest. "I guess we can carry on the same. We strike in two days."


End file.
